Two Swords, One Shield, Zero Training
by KtyouVsWriting
Summary: Jaune Arc knows these things about his parents. Firstly, they're celebrities. Lucas Arc, the hero, and Raven Branwen, the enigma. Secondly, they both wield swords. His father uses a claymore, his mother brandishes an ōdachi. And thirdly, he has both their skills. The huntsman's classic form, and the huntress's unorthodox form. Getting into Beacon Academy? Easy as pie. Or is it?
1. Chapter 1: Mistakes Will Be Made

Chapter 1: Mistakes Will Be Made

 **Kingdom of Mistral**

 **Village of New Sharon**

Raven Branwen casually made her way through the village. Her footsteps were quiet, even if it wasn't her intent to be as silent as a phantom and as unseen as one. She just liked to remain quiet on her feet.

She was thoroughly worked to the bone. However this time, it wasn't Grimm that had her exhausted. No, she hadn't fought a Grimm, anything, or anyone for that matter in five months, and that left her feeling like a dull sword that went too long unused.

She hated that feeling, but it was necessary that she not fight during those months, as was urged by the people she cared about.

So she hadn't.

Not since when she'd first discovered that she was pregnant.

Now, she was pregnant no longer. Yang Xiao Long was no longer a part of her life. Her blood daughter's life was in the hands of Tai and Summer. With them, Raven knew that the baby girl would be fine without her.

She was now just a woman with a lot of problems, not which included a devastated lover, an angry and saddened brother, a heart-broken team leader, and a completely clueless blood daughter. There wasn't much more that needed to be said.

She was alone.

All alone.

It felt so strange to be alone after fours years with the team she called family in virtually all ways. Her brother, Qrow Branwen, her leader and sister, Summer Rose, and Taiyang Xiao Long, the man with a temper. To be separated from them after their time together?

It left her feeling moody.

Fortunately, nobody cared enough to come up to her. She was a former member of Team STRQ, and that entitled her to a little celebrity intimidation. A lot of people knew who she was and knew of her skills. She preferred to keep it this way.

Raven didn't even bother to show her ID to the bouncer at the bar. He just let her in without even asking. People knew that look in her eye.

It was pathetic in a way that she was seeking a way to drown her melancholy mood right now with alcohol. The very same method that Qrow would use when he needed to dumb down his emotions. Drinking was his habit, not hers, and every time she took a drink of anything with alcohol in it, she was reminded of Qrow.

She hated that, yet she still moved with purpose towards the bar. People moved when her presence became known. Those who didn't know who she was somehow just gravitated away from her. They just knew she meant business. Red eyes can usually do that to any normal person. That, and her demeanor.

Leaning almost causally on the bar, all she did was point to a hard liquor and the bartender got her the drink. Without any though, she drank the content of the glass like Qrow would. She might not be a drunk like her brother, but damn did she know how to hold down her alcohol. She attributed it to family blood.

The burning sensation in her throat made her focus her mind off of the things that were bogging her down. No, it wasn't enough. She still was thinking about Summer. She was still thinking about Taiyang. She was still thinking about Qrow.

She needed to get them out of her thoughts.

Somehow.

"A raven flies into a bar."

Raven didn't even turn her head to face the speaker of that joke. No, she hated that joke with a passion. Had it been any other voice, she would have gutted him right where he stood.

She put down her glass and looked to see a familiar face.

Lucas Wyatt Arc, one of the best students of their graduating class. As his family name suggested, he was a warrior of great renown alongside his friends. His was the former leader of Team LOUS (Lotus), a team who was on the same level as team STRQ in terms of skill. He was also a trusted friend, one of the few Raven had outside her team.

"Lucas." She faced him fully. "Why are you here? This place is definitely not your scene either."

"I was on a job here. Job's done, and I'm bored." He took a seat. "I heard that you were pregnant."

"And where did you hear that from?" She eyed him suspiciously.

"Taiyang, who else?" He shrugged.

Raven relaxed. "Then you know that Yang was born."

"Yang? As in Yang Xiao Long? That's what you named her?"

"So you do know."

"C'mon, Raven, if I didn't know you well, I'd say you're avoiding the issue." His dark sapphire eyes focused on her. "You think I'd be so cruel as to do something that you don't want?"

"I don't know what to expect out of you." Raven didn't let her guard down. "Even if you are my friend, you being here is unusual."

"Look, even I need a drink." Lucas gestured for his own glass. "And besides, I couldn't tell you what to do. You only listen to Summer."

It was true what he was saying. Raven had no doubt here was here by coincidence. It wasn't that Lucas was a good liar. He just simply saw no reason to lie in the first place. So innocent, and naive in some way. That was just the Lucas thing to do: be a pure and noble soul even when the world didn't deserve his overabundance of kindness. Raven certainly didn't believe so anyway.

Lucas was a rare example of a pure and noble soul, one who truly did stick by what he preached and not waiver, not even under threats. Raven didn't agree with him, but he hadn't changed in spite of the world throwing a lot of evil things at him. That was deserving of respect at least.

But she wouldn't dare to respond to him with compliments. No, she only grunted and relaxed her pose, showing that she was willing to make conversation with him. His company wasn't unpleasant to have.

"You know, there are better ways to get yourself out of the mud." He sipped his drink. "There's no need to drown your sorrows."

"I don't have any sorrows." Raven's crimson eyes glared. "You should know that by now."

"And I should also know a few things about the people I call friends." He responded pointedly. "Like how she grew so attached to her teammates they become a second family. I know, I've been there."

Raven pushed her lips together at his words. Yes, they were true, but screw him for making her life difficult like this. She didn't need his charity. She didn't want him to butter her up.

"Let the record show that best friends should also know when they're not wanted at a specific moment." Raven slammed her drink on the counter. "This moment."

"Is that Raven talking, or is that your rum talking?" Lucas took the drink from her grasp. "Better not have any more there, little bird."

"Say that again." Raven got up and stood up right next to him.

She was shorter than Lucas, though not by a terribly large margin, but she wasn't afraid of him in the least. If anything, he should be afraid of her. Unfortunately, he wasn't afraid of friends, not even her.

But Lucas had said the word that was to never be associated with Raven: little.

"And what will you do?" He stood there meeting her challenge.

"I will…" She lapsed into a quiet thought process. "I'll…"

"Yes?" He waited.

A pause came, and Raven considered the man in front of her. Lucas was fully aware that she wouldn't move against him. Threats didn't work on him at all, and there was no way he'd bargain for silence.

She looked into his face.

An idea.

All she did was grab him roughly and kiss him. It was a long kiss, and very hard. His response was light; it was there, but unlike her, he wasn't so into it.

He gently pushed her off. "Raven, this is a fine line."

Raven slapped him. "I know how to walk fine lines."

"Come on, you love Taiyang." He gently kept her at a distance. "What would he think if he saw the love of his life kissing one of his best friends?"

"I say that he's not in control of my life." Raven narrowed her eyes. "The last I remember, we made no promises to each other."

"So this is just for funsies?" Lucas still felt unsure. "You're not that kind of woman, Raven."

"I would not do this with just anyone." Raven crossed her arms. "I'm not going to force you, Lucas. I'm asking as a friend."

There was the key term: friend. Lucas was a man who was loyal to a fault for his friends and family. To him, the word friend carried arguably as much meaning as family did. Adding to that, and if memory served Raven well, he wasn't one to deny the requests of a friend.

Still, he was hesitating. Lucas was always like that, considering all of the pros and cons with this. Never before he had really seen Raven like that. Not to say that she wasn't beautiful, because she was, but she already had Taiyang.

"Raven, I can't."

"And why not, Lucas? You got a girlfriend I don't know about?"

He shook his head. "No, nothing like that."

Raven frowned deeply. "So there's something wrong with me."

"What? No… I dunno. You're into Tai." Lucas ruffled a bit of hair behind. "Look, you can't do this to him."

Seeing that he was beginning to doubt, she took his hand and dragged him back to the inn where she had a room for the night.

As everyone vacated the area with Raven on the warpath, they gave sympathetic looks to Lucas as he was being dragged away with no way out. They were assuming that he wasn't going to come out of this one alive.

And in a way, they were right.

Without any grace, she promptly shoved him into her room, slammed the door shut, triple-checked to see if it was locked, then approached him. He backed into the wall, feeling his innards scream at him to move, evade, dodge, something. He was more than capable of taking her on in a fair fight.

Then Lucas spotted this look in Raven's eyes. It was hunger and fire and anger. It was something he was vaguely familiar with. His experience with women was limited, so he wasn't always sure what to look for. Now, though, he couldn't possibly ignore the fact that she was there, offering her express permission. He should be honored.

But he still didn't dare touch her.

She moved to press herself against him. He hissed, still holding back, though his mind began to wander. She was… nice to look at now, almost unbearably so in this moment.

"Please." This was as close to begging as Raven would get. "For me, your friend?"

"I…" Lucas couldn't hold out like this. "I… I'm afraid."

"Don't be." She placed a gloved hand to his cheek. "I won't hurt you."

She placed a light kiss on his lips this time, and he slowly responded, trying to match her. No, it still felt wrong, but this woman wanted him right here and right now. He would undoubtedly regret this later, but ultimately, instinct and his own growing hunger won the battle this time. He hated the male instinct.

For now though, it was too late. She separated from his lips and took his hand, leading him to the nearby bed, not taking her eyes off him for one moment.

 **(X)(X)(X)(X)**

 **Kingdom of Vacuo**

 **Village of Harenam**

 **Two Months later…**

"You wanted to see me, Raven?" Lucas sat down at the chair. "What's this all about?"

Raven looked at him from her seat across from him. Lucas was looking about the same as he did two months ago: still radiant, still happy, and still productive. He was a good huntsman. It suited him.

She'd called him to this little coffee shop in Vacuo, the place where she'd just recently completed another hunters contract. It was an in-between job, something to do while she waited for the more important business to commence.

"I'm…" Raven considered if there was a way to break the news without him going into some sort of shock. "I'm…"

"Raven?" Lucas looked like he was ready. "Just speak plainly."

So be it. Raven looked at him for a second. "I'm pregnant, Lucas."

Thankfully, Lucas didn't need any explanation to know that the child was his, as his eyes widened, but he looked far from paralyzed to a fault. That didn't take away from the fact that he was surprised. He put his drink down.

"How far along are you?" His attention refocused on her.

"Two months." She made sure to look him in the eye.

Lucas waited a moment or two.

"Is there something you wanted from me? Do you need me to raise the child?"

"No, nothing quite that drastic. No, I'm here to tell you that I think we should share custody."

"But why let me at all?" Lucas tapped his hands together. "This is your child."

"I'm not an ideal parent, but I've decided that I need to try. I've failed once." Raven's hands tightened. "I don't intend to fail so spectacularly again."

"Why this change?" Lucas's question was as innocent as it was painful.

"Every time I leave someone I care about, it makes me more cold, leaves me a bit more dangerous." Raven's eyes looked into his own. "It might be time to reintegrate back into normality, or as close to it as I can get."

That was her fancy way of saying she regretted some decisions in the past, more specifically, she regretted when she left people close to her; Lucas knew Raven enough to understand that she'd never willingly or knowingly reveal weakness if she could help it. She was a very firm.

"Okay, I agree to shared custody." He affirmed with a clear and honest tone. "Now I've just got to explain this to my girlfriend."

"You have a girlfriend?" Raven almost laughed. "Since when did you get one?"

"Do you remember Daisy?"

"You? With Daisy?"

"I guess so. Why, did you think I was going to remain single forever?"

"No, but I thought you wouldn't find time to settle down. You're always so consumed with being a huntsman."

"It was going to happen sooner or later."

Both Raven and Lucas were relieved that their conversation wasn't going to be one of those long and complicated ones that involved a lot of yelling and screaming and disagreement. Thankfully, the two of them were adults.

"So, quick question." Lucas changed the subject again. "What's better to do: use your family name or mine for this child?"

"Your name." Raven didn't even think about it. "My family name is just asking for attention that this child doesn't need."

"Just making sure." He resumed drinking his drink. "Anything else that I should know or do?"

"For now, nothing, but I may call on you." She eyed him carefully. "And I trust you'll come should I have need?"

"Do you need to ask, Raven?" He looked offended. "What have I always said about friends and family?"

"Never leave them behind." She felt a pang of guilt. "I almost forget that you live by that motto."

"They've always stood by me, so I have to do the same."

"In any case, your help is appreciated."

"You're welcome."

Raven sipped on her coffee and took in the sights all around them. These were just normal people who were going about their normal day, completely ignorant to the dangers of the world. In a way, she didn't envy them. The people who didn't know of danger or refused to heed them were the ones that ended up dead.

Then she saw Lucus's thoughtful look. He was fully aware of the dangers of the world, and somehow that didn't make him any less eager to live life to the best of his ability. She knew that he understood what she did, but yet he allowed himself the ability to know a piece of life that didn't involve combat.

In that way, she envied his state of balance.

"Raven?"

"Just thinking about what I'm suppose to do as a mother. Again."

"What, you didn't think about that when Yang was born?" His question was born out of mere curiosity, not an attempt to instill guilt. "Nothing at all?"

"No, I didn't intend to be around longer than I had to be." She sighed, leaning back. "Now that I'm committed, I'm a bit lost."

"Well, whatever you need, I'll help."

"Sometimes, I wish that you weren't so easy to get along with."

"Oh yeah, that reminds me. I revisited Tai and Summer. If it means anything, they're doing well and they're taking care of Yang."

"I see."

He didn't elaborate further, and she didn't ask for more details. It was enough to know that her daughter was in the care of her former teammates.

"I should go." He stood up. "I have another job to get to. Farewell, Raven. If you need me, I'll be there."

"Then this is goodbye, Lucas." She shook his hand. "For now."

Without another word or look, they both parted, ready to get on with their lives. It wouldn't be long before Raven would call him forth again to help her, that was not in question. However, she didn't love Lucas like she loved Taiyang. She couldn't afford to love someone else like Taiyang. That was just asking for too much trouble.

But he did seem to want to be involved as much as he would be allowed, and she appreciated that. She wondered just how much he would be a part of her life as well as their unborn child. His promises were big, but sometimes, she was left unsure how big.

For now, it would have to be enough. Whether or not she would allow him to continue being a part of this child's life would remain to be seen in time.

"One more questions, Raven?"

"Yes, Lucas?"

"Why not terminate the baby?"

Now that was a question that Raven herself had toyed with for two weeks. It would be easy, and in many ways, it would be the most practical thing for her to do. She wasn't able to take care of Yang as it was. Why bother burdening herself and Lucas with another child? Then she remembered one thing.

Lucas was a trusted friend, a person Raven would trust with her life if need be. To break that trust with something so important…

"You deserved to know."

 **(X)(X)(X)(X)**

 **Kingdom of Mistral**

 **Village of Draxon**

 **Seven Months later...**

"Do you expect him to become a huntsman?" Lucas leaned in his chair to get a better look. "Or do you not care?"

Raven had been holding their newborn baby boy for a few minutes, not with a smile, but not with a frown either. She was studying the boy, memorizing his features, noticing the strength in his eyes, the traits that would be inherited from both his father and herself.

"He has that hidden strength in his eyes." Raven replied. "I have no doubt that he'll make a superb huntsman."

"Perhaps." He gazed harder at the sapphire-blue eyes of the baby. "For now, one step at a time."

"Literally." Raven felt sarcasm in her tone. "By the way, how did you parents react? To all of this?"

"They're not happy." He rubbed a hand through his hair. "But like it or not, it's where we're at. I was a little bit of a stickler for tradition. I'll get it right the next time."

"I thought you were a traditionalist to the core." Raven pushed a strand of hair from her sight. "In any case, we need to name him."

"Hm." Lucas stared deep into the eyes of his son. "How about… Jay… no. How about Jaune?"

"Jaune Arc." Raven tested the name on her tongue. "It's short, sweet, and rolls off the tongue."

"And the ladies will love it." Lucas's light chuckle was as much annoying as it was endearing.

"I think not." Raven glared at Lucas. "My son will not grow up to be such. You yourself aren't even close to being that suave."

"Okay, okay." Lucas waved his hands in defeat. "You win on that one, but you got that right about the short, sweet, and rolls off the tongue."

With a mild huff, Raven made herself sit up in bed, all the while allowing Lucas to sit and look at Jaune. The baby boy had yet to cry, but he was awake, and reaching out to both of them with a tiny hand.

"So do you remember what we agreed to?" Raven allowed Lucas to hold Jaune.

"Yes, I am aware." Lucas gave a serious look. "You know me not to break a promise."

"Because an Arc never goes back on his promise." Raven recited the words that were spoken for countless generations. "I know you won't. Still, hearing the pledge again does bring a bit of assurance."

They would have a few more minutes before the nurse came back and recorded Jaune's name, date, time, and location of birth. Raven had to go to great lengths to ensure that her second pregnancy was hidden well. Lucas had gone out of his way to promise those who knew and made them swear to secrecy. He was so much better than her at diplomacy and nice talk. She'd maybe threaten, intimidate, or kill anyone who knew.

Both of them noticed Jaune reaching out a hand. Raven and Lucas both gently allowed the baby to grasp both of their hands as best he could. The feeling was soft, but also powerful, and wide blue eyes greeted them both, a look of wonder.

"We should activate his aura." Raven wanted this to be done as soon as possible.

"Okay. Your call." Lucas called upon his aura. "But if you feel too down, let me know, and we can stop."

"Noted."

Both of them closed their eyes and focused on the tiny soul held in their arms.

"For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death. I release my soul and by my shoulder protect thee."

The words were spoken with perfect clarity and distinction. Both of them said it in parallel as well, their voice sounding as one person.

Opening their eyes, they could see Jaune glowing a pristine white color.

"He has a lot of it." Lucas looked on with awe.

"That he does." Raven acknowledged, a hint of pride in her voice. "It would be a waste for him to not become a warrior with this sort of potential."

"Whatever his path, I'll be there for him." Lucas voiced where he stood with clarity and purpose. "He's of my blood."

"Our blood." Raven corrected him. "And don't forget that you're just a donor. I've been doing most of the work."

"I won't argue with that." Lucas chortled lightly so as not to disturb Jaune. "You know better than I."

A knock on the door and a nurse came in. "Now Mr. Arc, Ms. Branwen, what do you wish to call your son."

"Jaune Arc." Raven stated a finality. "Is there anything else?"

"Once his birth certificate comes through," The nurse replied, "You are all free to go."

"Please have it done as soon as possible." Lucas broke in. "We're rather eager to get going."

"Of course." The door opened and closed.

It wouldn't take them long to get all the necessary paper work done as well as pay the necessary bills and be on their way. For Lucas and Raven, that was the easy part. The more difficult part was now to raise a son in two different worlds. Both huntsman and huntress knew that the lives they led would undoubtedly cause their child to be torn.

Raven was the dark side. Lucas was the light side.

Which would their child choose?

* * *

 **Good god, another story? Well, go figure, that's what I do.**

 **This is another experimental story. This one is all about important character dilemmas. You'll understand once you get more into the story. The ultimate goal is already in place. Getting there is what I'm aiming to do now.**

 **Whether or not romances become involved I'm not sure. Once I'm more into the story, I'll know for sure if romance is important or not. Regardless, you're all free to voice your OTP's with Jaune.**

 **So what do you guys think of this chapter? Good? Bad? Meh? Same old, same old? Reviews would be appreciated.**

 **I hope you guys enjoyed this pilot chapter, and remember:**

 _ **"The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are."**_

 **Joseph Campbell**

 **Peace!**


	2. Chapter 2: The Branwen Power

Chapter 2: The Branwen Power

 **Remnant**

 **Arc Household**

 **4 years later…**

Jaune Arc stared at his twin baby sisters, Blanche and Daiyu. Blanche was the one with platinum-blonde hair and Daiyu was the one with coal-black hair. Other than that, it would be very difficult to tell them apart. Other people thought it was hard to tell the difference barring that one distinction, but Jaune didn't.

His father and step-mother had left him in charge for a few minutes while he got them food to eat. Jaune had insisted that he wasn't hungry, only thirsty.

"Jaune, are you sure that you're not hungry?"

The little boy looked to see his step-mother giving him a worried glance. Though not related by blood, Daisy Arc treated Jaune like her own son, and never once could Jaune ever recall her being anything but a second mother.

"I'm okay." He shook his head. "But thank you."

"Okay." She ruffled his hair. "But you let me know if you do."

Once again, he was left alone, and he spent that time marvelling at his little sisters, who were sitting in nearby chairs. They gazed at him with the most innocent look he'd ever seen in any person. His dad called them bundles of joy, and Jaune would stand by that statement through and through, even when they were all grown up.

"Hi babies." Jaune knew their names perfectly well. He could even tell the twins apart. Calling them babies was just his thing. "Food is coming."

They cooed in response to his words. They tried to reach for him too, and he touched their hands. The feeling was so soft, something he was always

Just then, his father appeared with two bowls. "I'm back. How are the girls, Jaune?"

"The same." Jaune shrugged his shoulders. "Happy."

"Are you sure you'd rather stay here than practice with your semblance?"

"I'm fine, dad." Jaune nodded his head. "Just like to watch."

Just then, a loud knock on the door could be heard. Both the father and son looked to the general direction of the door while the two babies looked around, trying to source the location of the noise themselves.

Lucas looked to his son. "Jaune, would you get that?"

Without a moment of hesitation, the boy jumped from his seat and rushed to the door. With some strength, he opened the door to see the only other person he loved as much as his own father.

"Mother." He knew she wasn't one for hugs, but he still hugged her. "I've missed you."

She said nothing, and initially didn't respond to his gesture of affection, but Jaune wasn't deterred by this act. He still loved her.

Then he separated from her, and she held his chin, looking into his mother's red eyes. Most people were apparently afraid of her eyes, but Jaune didn't see any reason to be afraid of the look she was giving him.

"I trust all has been well, Jaune?" Raven still held his head in her hand. "Have you been helpful to your father?"

"Yes mother." Jaune smiled at her. "Always."

"Raven." His father's voice came from behind him. "What brings you here?"

"It's time for Jaune to wield a sword." His mother's attention returned to his father. "I wish him to start immediately."

Jaune looked between both his parents. There was a moment that was characterized by looking at each other, but no one speaking. It was a feeling, but he was sure his parents were communicating somehow, but how did one do that without talking?

But a sword? That was what he did understand. It sounded so cool to hold one, and he wanted to fight like them more than anything.

"What weapon will he use?" He replied cooly.

"We will both test his aptitude with our own weapons." She crossed her arms. "And from there, we will see what becomes of it."

"Very well." Jaune met his father's eyes. "Jaune."

"Father?"

"I'll ask this question." Kneeling down, the man took a deep breath, then looked at the boy again. "What do you want to do when you grow up?"

Jaune tilted his head. "I don't know."

"You don't know?" The man sounded just as confused as his son. "And why's that?"

"Because I want to be like you both." Jaune's head turned to his mother.

"Both of us?" His mother's look demanded a better response.

"I don't know how to say it." Jaune looks to the ground. "Mother wants things. You wants things. I want things. Maybe I can, um, uh-"

"Compromise." His father said a word. "I think that's what you mean."

"What's that mean?" Jaune had never heard of the word.

"It means you try to work together." His mother stepped closer. "Try to give everyone what they want or as much as possible."

"Yeah, that. Compromise." Jaune tried the word on his tongue. Maybe he didn't understand in full, but if it meant people working together, then it was a good word. "I want people to have stuff they want."

"Hmm." His father looked to his mother, then back to him. "Was there anything else?"

"No." Jaune shook his head. "Nothing else."

"Very well." Lucas stood. "Train him well, Raven. I'll be expecting progress."

"I won't disappoint." Raven gestured to her son. "Come along, little man."

"But I need to pack." Jaune protested immediately. "I don't have-"

"This?" Lucas held a bag out. "Now you do."

"Thanks, father." His arms encircled the man's neck. "I'll be back before ya know it."

"Not before you learn something."

"K!"

"I hope you don't plan to leave without a proper goodbye, Jaune." Daisy appeared at the door.

"Sorry." Jaune ran up to her to give her a hug. "I'll miss you too."

"Be well, dear boy." She faced him. "I will wait for you."

"Daisy." Raven nodded.

"Raven." Daisy nodded back.

With a final goodbye to his sisters, Jaune strapped his bag onto his back and was off with his mother. He didn't dare to dilly-dally too long. Raven always did dislike wasting time, but even his mother had to respect family. It was the most important thing in the entire world.

"So where to, mother?" Jaune lifted his head to see her. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see when we get there."

It was as good of an answer as he was going to get.

So he accepted it.

 **(X)(X)(X)(X)**

"Mama!" Yang was out of breath when she came to her step-mother. "Where's Ruby?"

"Hush now." Summer scolded Yang, holding Ruby in her arms. "Don't wake your sister up."

"Sorry." Yang covered her mouth initially. "She's pretty when she sleeps."

"Yes." Summer whispered. "She is."

"Everything okay in here?" Taiyang poked his head through the door.

"Shhhhh!" Both Summer and Yang put a finger to their lips. "Ruby's sleeping."

"Sorry." He shut his mouth.

Summer gave him a pointed look.

"What?" Taiyang whispered. "What did I do?"

"Not you." Summer's eyes lit up. "I think someone's at the door."

"What? How can you…" Before he could say anything more, a knock at the door came to everyone's ears, save for Ruby.

With a quiet shrug, Taiyang left for the door. It didn't take long for the sound of another voice to fill the halls. It was also a very familiar voice as well.

"Yang, watch Ruby for me." Summer rose from her seated position, gently putting Ruby on the couch. "I'm going to see what that's all about."

"K." Yang sat on the couch, watching Ruby.

Smiling at her two daughters, the huntress gave a small wave before she went out to see her friend Qrow talking to Tai.

"Summer." Qrow nodded to her. "Good to see you."

"Qrow." Summer hugged him. "God, how long has it been?"

"Too long." The scythe-wielder responded. "I actually came here to let you guys know that I'm going to be seeing Raven shortly."

Both Taiyang and Summer exchanged a look of disquiet. Neither of them had seen or heard from Raven since Yang's birth. No matter their attempts to contact her, she remained elusive to all of them; even Qrow hadn't seen much of her.

"Did she say what she wanted?" Taiyang's voice was a bit hard, more so than he intended it to be. "Not that I'm expecting an answer."

"Beats me." Qrow shrugged, taking a swig from his flask. "I have no idea what she's been doing these past years."

"She still won't talk?" Summer shook her head. "She's got to be hiding something big, but why not tell us? We're family."

"I've tried arguing the same thing with her." Qrow capped the flask. "She still won't budge. I don't know if this time will be any different."

"Can't hurt to try." Tai looked forlorn. "We've got nothing to lose."

"Still holding out hope, Tai?" Qrow chuckled. "Aren't you the player?"

"I'm long over that." The blond-haired huntsman growled. "And she may be a person I trust with my life, but I don't intend to make it easy for her."

"None of us do." Summer said with a hand to her head. "But enough about being mad at Raven. Whatever chance we have is one we should take."

"Just thought I'd let you guys know. I'm off by tomorrow. She's in Vacuo. I'm suppose to meet her in one of the villages."

"Just you?"

"Just me."

"Well, tell her we miss her, even if we're still not happy that she won't see us."

"I'll pass the message along."

"Uncle Qrow!"

The red-eyed man looked to see a tiny kid with blonde hair wrapping herself around his left leg. He only laughed mildly at this.

"Hey there, Firecracker." He patted her on the head. "You being good for you parents?"

"Definitely."

"Good." He kneeled down. "How's Ruby doing?"  
"She's good, but she's asleep." Yang's pout left everyone with a smirk. "She's gonna miss you."

"Well, tell her that she owes me one." Qrow said, poking her in the chest. "Be a big sister and tell her that."

"Where are you going, Uncle Qrow?" Yang's curious eyes were plain for all to see.

"Somewhere dangerous, Yang." Qrow masked his discomfort. "You can't go there yet."

"Why not?" A cute pout was her attempt to get info.

It wasn't enough. "When you're a huntress, then we'll talk."

"Awww." Nevertheless, Yang nodded her head in partial understanding. "When will I be a huntress?"

"One day, kid. One day, but not today. I've gotta go."

"Okay, Yang. Uncle Qrow needs to go now." Taiyang carefully took Yang away from Qrow. "Well, good luck. Don't get killed."

"Hey, I'm never gonna die. Remember, you're talking to a member of the coolest team to graduate Beacon."

"Can't say I know what you're talking about." Summer put a hand to his shoulder, a smirk on her face. "Take care. And say hi to Raven for us."

"I'll pass the message along."

 **(X)(X)(X)(X)**

The reunion between the siblings was one that was mired in familiarity and unfamiliarity. They had their own sibling greetings and conversations not understood by outsiders easily, yet years apart from each other had made them realize the changes both subtle and obvious. They were related and yet not.

"I'm here, Raven." Qrow didn't try to take a swig now. "So what's going on now?"

"I need a favor." Raven remained neutral in response. "I have need of supplies."

"And why haven't you gotten them yourself?"

"Because it's not the sort of supplies you just buy." Raven tapped a few keys on her scroll. "I'll show you."

Qrow reached into his pocket to see the message that had just been sent. Looking through it, he found supplies that were instantly familiar to him. Calling them supplies wouldn't be accurate though.

These were materials needed to construct high-grade weapons, the real top-tier kind of death-bringers. He glanced at Raven's side to see that her blade and its dust chambers were there and nothing seemed out of whack.

"Are you even going to let me know why you need a new weapon?" Qrow didn't miss Raven's look. "Or is this another of those hush-hush scenarios?"

"You tell me." She merely blinked.

"One of these days, sister, I'll find out." Qrow placed his scroll back into his belt.

Raven snorted a bit. "When I let you."

"Game on." The huntsman gave the huntress a scathing look. "Summer and Tai miss you."

"I know." She remained neutral.

"You probably won't do anything, but they want to know that you're okay." Qrow's red orbs looked into hers. "They still think of you as family."

Raven chose not to reply to this, only regarding her brother with the strangest look he's seen in a long time. It almost looked like she was trying to form some words to compensate or explain herself. He didn't need to hear anything though.

"There is something else." Raven bit her lips, and Qrow found this curious. She looked nervous. She never was. "But you need to promise not to tell what I'm about to show you."

Qrow wanted more than that, but when it came to Raven, you agreed to her terms, or there was nothing to talk about at all. If he asked questions, he doubted that she'd get a straight answer from him, or any answer at all for that matter, only the obvious one that she cared to share.

"Alright." Qrow breathed heavily, his head lowered a bit. "Go ahead."

She once again made eye contact, this time, searching him for something. Then she turned her back to him, took three steps forward.

She extended a hand. "It's okay to come out now."

That voice, that tone, they were so unlike his sister to use. The last time he remembered her speaking like she did was when they were at Beacon. That was so many years ago, and for a long time, Qrow wondered if he'd ever see that side of Raven.

What he saw next utterly confused him.

A boy stepped from cover and approached Raven. He looked to be no older than Yang, maybe younger, and definitely older than Ruby. His blond hair was relatively short, only a few inches in length. His eyes were sapphire in color.

Raven took this boy and placed him in front of her, her hands on his shoulders. She faced Qrow, as did the boy. Looking to the two of them, it didn't take long for him to realize what he was looking at.

 _A son._ Now the huntsman was truly at a loss for words. _Raven has a son._

How? When? Who? Where?

So many questions.

"This is what you've been doing for five years?"

"Jaune is a major part of my time, but not all of it."

"So who's his father?"

"I think you can discern that much from looking at him."

Looking again, the man took in all of his features. The face shape, the eyes, the hair, the posture. It was familiar.

Then it hit him.

"Lucas." Qrow sounded almost angry. "Lucas Arc is his father."

"Yes." Raven nodded her head.

"Why?" Anger was bubbling up, though he did well to conceal it from his voice.

"It was unexpected." Raven replied in a monotonous voice. "But not unwelcome."

So she had a one-night stand with the Arc and this child was the result? Since when did Raven ever have a "hump and dump" kind of relationship? It wasn't in her nature. Then again, it had been five years. What did he know about Raven for that time?

"So why tell me now?" Qrow decided to shove his anger down for the moment. "What do you want me to do?"

"I want him to unlock his alternate form."

The brother instantly knew that Raven was seeking, and in that moment, he had a decision to make.

The Branwen family had a tradition of being able to unlock bird forms exclusive from semblances. If this boy was of Raven's blood, then he would have an inactive form within him somewhere.

However, in order to unlock said form, two people of Branwen blood needed to be present for the transformation. Attempts with one person in the past had always been met with results that were… less than successful.

"Do you really think I'm just gonna let bygones be bygones?" Qrow let out a growl. "You abandoned us for Lucas."

"I abandoned no one." Raven glared swords back at her brother. "Lucas lives with Daisy now. They have two daughters. I'm hardly happy family material."

"Then explain this." Qrow made a gesture to the boy. "How come this kid is worth your attention, but your daughter isn't?"

"That's not for you to know, brother." Raven held her ground. "And you will address my son as Jaune Arc."

His anger was irrational, he knew, and useless as well. Raven never did things on a whim. She had reasons. That didn't make him feel any less passionate about this subject, especially when his sister was so indifferent-acting.

For the first time, he looked down to the child called Jaune Arc. The boy in turned looked to his uncle.

What he initially saw was a boy who very much bore a resemblance to his father. The face shape, his blue eyes, his blonde hair, his straight posture, everything that Lucas Arc had. He couldn't see his blood or Raven's blood.

But she had claimed him as a son, so he looked again.

The eery calm face, the intense gaze, the still-as-stone demeanor. The boy blinked, and still remained as he was.

No, that was definitely not what an Arc would look like.

"Hello, Uncle Qrow." Jaune finally spoke words. "Mother said you were a great warrior."

"I am." Qrow processed the tone of voice, but remained focused. "And what are you?"

"Your nephew."

"We don't know each other, Jaune."

"But I want to know you."

Now he sounded like his father: eager to meet new faces. It was almost like his first time speaking to Lucas Arc.

"Do you even know what your mom wants you to do?" Qrow swept some hair from out of his eyes. "Do you even understand this?"

"Mother wants me to fight with a sword." The set of blue eyes didn't waver from the eye contact. "She wants me to be strong."

"And what do you want?"

Jaune tilted his head. "Compromise. I want to compromise."

Now that was certainly something not to expect from the son of Lucas Arc and Raven Branwen. Qrow knew both parents so well; so opposite in personality yet somehow still close friends, sort of like Raven's relationship with Taiyang.

The only difference? Taiyang wasn't exactly a man with a legacy. Lucas had an extensive family legacy, one that was burdened with massive duty. He was not just a huntsman, but a hero to many people.

Was that Raven's deciding factor?

The scythe-wielder shook his head. It didn't matter right now.

"Why does he need the form?" Qrow asked the question, even knowing the answer. "Why let him?"

"Because he will need it." Raven looked down to her son. "It's for his own good."

She wouldn't answer him with a straight-up answer, as was her M.O. and her right, but the brother sort of had an idea of what she spoke of. Both her and Lucas were of a different breed of hunters.

"And Yang doesn't deserve it?" Qrow let his words convey his disapproval.

"Yang has no need for it." Raven frowned at her brother's continued resistance. "And she's not worthy of the gift."

As much as he hated to concede to her point, he had to. Little Yang wasn't in the same situation as Jaune was.

Qrow shook his head. "Alright, fine. I'll do it." If she wasn't his sister...

Raven regarded him. "And you will keep silent about this."

"On our family honor, I swear it." Qrow sat down, preparing himself. "But I intend to have a little chat with Lucas about this."

"If you do, I will not object." Raven took her position. "Jaune, stand between us, and stay still."

The scythe-wielder watched as the boy obeyed his mother and took his place where he was equally spaced between them both.

Both brother and sister began to concentrate their energies into a single pool of power, all the while chanting the words that had been spoken since the first.

"We have transcended that which is known to Mankind and have elevated ourselves. We have embraced a power few can hope to experience in full. We have been blessed with a gift that is not to be taken for granted. We have become one with nature itself. Now, blood of our blood, we bestow upon you our power. Your power."

Both Branwen siblings opened their eyes to a very familiar and alien sight.

A tiny baby bird.

"Our blood." Qrow breathed.

"Our blood." Raven mirrored him.

Both of them closed their eyes again, and in moments, there were no Humans in sight.

Just two birds and a chick.

 **(X)(X)(X)(X)**

Lucas and Daisy sat next to the fire. Both Blanche and Daiyu had been tucked into bed without much fuss, thank Monty Oum.

Tonight, though, they weren't flowing with conversation. There was a reason for that. With Jaune gone to begin his physical training, it was now the beginning of adulthood for the boy. He'd be getting a really early start.

"Do you think it was wise to send Jaune off with Raven?" Daisy glanced to Lucas, then back to the flames.

"As much as it might pain me, Daisy, to send my only son off, it's necessary." Lucas closed his eyes. "Between myself and Raven, it was inevitable."

"He's my son as well." Daisy raised her voice slightly. "Not by blood, but in every other way. I don't wish to see him on a path he doesn't desire."

"But he does desire it." He sat up, his fist pressed into his palm. "Jaune is far too talented for his own good. He spoke his first word when he was five months old, and he was up and running when he was twelve months old."

"That's what worries me." She let out a scoff. "He's too talented, learning things at an immensely fast pace. For Oum's sake, he's wielding his semblance."

"Like Raven said once, it'd be a shame to waste potential." He laughed at the memory of when Jaune was born. "I'm starting to see and agree with her more on that."

Apart from the fire in the fireplace, there was no other source of warmth or light in the room. Apart from the crackling and sizzling, there were no other sounds to be heard. Apart from the two of them, all was empty.

Daisy blinked once. "Will Jaune be required to carry out the sacred duty of the Arc clan?"

Silence was his initial answer. "… no, he will not."

"And why not?"

"… because he's already made up his mind."

"Which is?"

"... I don't know."

That brought no comfort to Daisy, and she just sat back, praying for Jaune's safe return home.

Lucas watched his wife; she knew of the Arc lineage and what it had done over the course of centuries. Every Arc in one manner or another was made to do an act for the greater good. Fate didn't dictate them and there weren't forced, but history had a way of messing with the Arc family, enough to compel them to acts of good. Whether big or small, it was done.

The Arc father had done his good act.

Now it was Jaune's turn.

 **(X)(X)(X)(X)**

"Again." Raven projected another portal. "This time more quickly."

Jaune's eyes didn't change as he focused his aura and his semblance. He remained almost impassive to a certain degree. His semblance was coming to him as naturally as breathing. Now refining it was the goal here.

It had been two hours since this session had begun. It was just like his other times with her. She would push him hard, and he'd do what was within his ability to do, which is exactly what the huntress wanted from her son.

In moments, he had created a rough counter portal to collapse Raven's own creation. White energy collided with red energy and then it all disappeared in a wisp.

"It seems you've grasped how to use your semblance well enough." Raven mulled for a few moments. "But now we need to work on aura control."

"Meditation?" Jaune knew the drill by this point. His father had already begun to instill the techniques into his head.

"Quite so." She sat down, cross-legged. "Sit."

Doing as he was told, Jaune began to manifest his aura again, this time, looking deep into himself. His eyes closed, his mind rushing to catch loose thoughts, his body being willed by his mind to remain still.

Raven wasn't meditating with him, but watching him through her own connection to him. His aura was strong, stronger than ever since his birth. It would seem that with each passing day, he could only improve.

Unfortunately, she wasn't happy with the fact that Lucas had already begun to instill certain moral aspects that she didn't approve of. Not that she didn't believe he couldn't be of use in this area, but Lucas was severely limited due to his morals. He simply wouldn't break them, which left him vulnerable in many ways.

She didn't wish Jaune to become vulnerable.

"Jaune, I have a question." Raven's voice was soft as a feather. "Will you indulge me?"

"Anything for you, mom." The boy opened his eyes. "What is it?"

"Do you know what killing is?" Raven needed to know just how much Lucas had been telling Jaune. "Do you know what it signifies."

The blond-haired boy frowned as he contemplated the word. His education was progressing quite well, more so than a vast majority of children his age. Even if he was still learning, he was capable of holding adult conversations and understanding enough of them. That was something both parents approved of.

"It means… taking away the thing people want to keep most." Jaune looked like he wasn't finished. "Dad once said it's like him taking away the chocolate I like the most and never seeing it again."

"That's a rather simplified version, but it isn't wrong." Raven smiled a pleased smile. "Did you father tell you that death is like going to sleep and never waking up?"

"No." Jaune shook his head. "He said… there's nothing left."

So Lucas wasn't shielding their child from the finality of life and death. To a normal person, it would seem cruel to inform a child of such a thing, implicating a life that was doomed to die. Jaune didn't seem affected by this.

Now for another question.

"Would you be willing to kill someone?"

"I don't know. It's different."

"Different how?" Raven kept pressing.

"Bad people should stop, but not all bad people stay bad."

"But sometimes, the only way to stop bad people is to kill them."

"But what if everyone was bad?"

For the first time in recent memory, Raven found herself caught off guard by this question. A simple question, yet coming from her four-year old son, it rang a bell in her head; here he was, already thinking about such consequences that adults debated over still. Even more surprising, he seemed firm.

"What if everyone was bad?" She threw the question back at him. "What would you do?"

"...I'd still save them all."

"Why, Jaune?"

"Because bad people can become good people."

"All of them?"

"A lot of them. Most of them."

"I see."

He wasn't completely out of reach. It would seem that if given the right reasons and motivations, he could kill someone. She certainly didn't expect him to kill for some time, at least not until he understood fully what taking a life meant.

But to what lengths did he believe that bad things could become better? How far was he willing to go to save those who didn't deserve redemption?

Questions better answered for another time. Another question came to mind.

"Are you afraid of me, Jaune?" Raven voiced another question.

"Why would I?" Jaune tilted his head. "You're my mother."

"So no, you're not." Raven nodded her head. "People have always been afraid of me."

"Why?"

"For being different."

"I don't understand."

"What people can't understand they shut out, shun." Raven waved a hand in dismissal. "One day, you'll understand better."

It would be some time before this conversation would make full sense to him. He still had many years of development ahead of him. Already, he exhibited signs of both his father and his mother. He didn't lean one way or another more favorably.

Then again, he was young, and who he was now wouldn't necessarily be who he was ten years from now.

Right now though, it was enough for Raven to know that Jaune was evolved beyond a normal child.

He still had much time to come, but he was driven by a sense of responsibility.

Raven didn't smile, but Jaune did.

* * *

 **The reception for the first chapter was positive all around, enough so that I've cracking down on getting all my ideas down so I stick to a somewhat consistent writing schedule.**

 **So you all saw only a part of Jaune's semblance. Before you go make assumptions, I'd advise you hold off. Remember, a semblance is often in tune with the nature of a person. Keep that in mind as the story moves forward.**

 **Still not affirmative yes or no regarding romance. I'm still weighing the pros and cons, but feel free to let out your OTP's. Reasons would be good too. I'm always looking for new angles and reasons to romance certain characters.**

 **There will be several more chapters of Jaune's childhood and these events of his early life will heavily influence future events.**

 **So what did you guys think? Good? Bad? Same old, same old?**

 **Hope you guys enjoyed reading, and remember:**

 _ **"Pessimism leads to weakness, optimism is power."**_

 **William James**

 **Peace!**


	3. Chapter 3: Find the Pieces

Chapter 3: Find the Pieces

 **Arc Household**

 **1 year later…**

"Come along, Jaune." Lucas Arc called to his son. "We're leaving."

"Coming, dad." The little Arc was quick to reach his father. "Got everything."

"Good, little man." The man patted his son on the head. "My god, you are growing up. Not so little anymore, are you?"

Jaune could only beam at his father's words. He was indeed growing up both in body and in mind.

Daisy was next to appear by the doorway, and she wasn't alone. In her hand, she carried a baby in her hands. This was Jaune's newest sister, and her name was Cyan.

"Be well, Lucas." Daisy kissed her husband. "And don't take too long. The girls will miss you dearly, especially this little one."

"We'll be back as soon as possible." Lucas nodded his head. "I promise."

"And you, little man." Daisy kneeled down to meet Jaune's eyes. "Take great care. I shall think of you every single day."

"I shall think of you too." Jaune gave a light hug. "And I shall miss this one too. I'll miss you so much widdle baby."

Both parents grinned like crazy as he played with Cyan. He was truly the ideal big brother to all of his sisters, always there for them, always willing to take care of them, and never once getting mad at them.

Reluctantly, he pulled away. "Be back soon!"

"That we will." Lucas saluted to her. "Go on, Jaune. I'll be right behind you."

"Okay." Jaune gave a last look at his step-mother.

Daisy was thankful that Jaune didn't seem to quite grasp the momentary glare that she gave to her husband. Both parents watched until their son was out of earshot before speaking to each other.

"Where are you really taking him?" Daisy put her free hand on her hip. "I wasn't born yesterday. I can see that you lied to Jaune."

"I didn't lie to Jaune." Lucas shook his head in disagreement. "He doesn't need to know what I'm doing until we get to where we're going. He'll know when we get there."

"You know I don't appreciate vagueness." Daisy let out a huff. "But I know how stubborn you've remained on this issue, so I won't press any further."

"That's all I ask." Lucas smiled a sad smile. "I don't pretend that everything's going to be fine and dandy, but Jaune will come back. I swear it."

"You'd better." With her free hand, she punched him in the shoulder. "Or you'd better hope your ancestors will protect you."

The threat wasn't empty. "Noted. Now off we go! Bye, Cyan! Be good for mama!"

A cry of excitement was his response.

"And try not to get killed!" Daisy called after them, part joke, part seriousness.

"Nothing can kill us!" Both the father and son replied back.

Such headstrong Arcs.

Daisy shook her head in mild amusement.

But she was still worried.

 **(X)(X)(X)(X)**

 **Somewhere in Mistral…**

"Why are we here, dad?" Jaune knew that the question had been asked so many times. If his father answered, he would stop asking. "What's in Mistral?"

"A lot of things, Jaune." Lucas felt a bit queasy from being on the dust plane for a prolonged period of time. "You sure you're okay, Jaune?"  
"Mom's teaching me not to barf." Jaune beamed proudly. "I haven't barfed in the air for seven months."

Lucas's spirits lifted at this comment. Raven had indeed been teaching Jaune how to hold his stomach down due in no small part to his training with his alternate form. Granted, he was far from being able to fly proficiently, but it was progress nonetheless.

Here's hoping that Jaune was ready.

"This way, Jaune." Lucas directed his son.

For the next two hours, the two of them took a bus out of the city and into the country. Mistral had a lot of wilderness dotted with villages, the perfect place for training. The swamps in particular at this time of year were the ideal place for wilderness training. The environment was just as much one's friend as it was one's enemy. The very environment that could provide apt cover could also consume people whole.

Once they were on foot again, Lucas led Jaune to the far edges of civilization. It was yet another hour of hiking. There were no other villages around.

It wasn't until they stepped into a clearly surrounded by trees did Lucas finally stop and look around. He could hear Jaune's ragged breaths and footsteps. The boy was growing in strength, speed, and stamina, but he was far from his best.

"I'm here, Raven." Lucas called out.

From the cover of a tree, the woman in question stepped out, her face carrying a neutral expression as per the norm.

"You're early." Raven commented.

"Naturally." Lucas looked over his shoulder. "Jaune!"

The boy approached his parents and stood up, still taking breaths, trying to focus on both of them. Keeping up with his father was more than a little taxing to his cardiovascular endurance.

"Hi mom." He staggered his way to both of them, giving his mother a weak hug. "What're you doing here?"

"Hello, Jaune." She patted him on the head. "Can't I come see you, my son?"

"Why not?"

"Then that answers your question." Raven regarded her son very carefully, then her gaze fell to his father. "Why is his hair so long?"

"He wanted it that way." Lucas seemed unconcerned and uncaring to the topic. "Who was I to stop that?"

"Jaune?" Raven put her hands on her hips. "Is it as your father says?"

"Yes, mom." Jaune nodded his head in agreement. "I like my hair long. Why, do you not like it?"

"It's not so much that I have a problem with it being long as it is it being messy." Raven kneeled down. "It's all over the place."

The woman, with a critical eye, began to arrange the boy's blond hair. Her hands moved with steady practice, and it in less than half a minute, she'd arranged his hair in a way that didn't make the five-year old look like a ruffian. As she moved away slightly, she could see just how much his hair had grown out.

"There we have it." Raven observed her work. "This will suffice. Now onto more important things."

"Important things?" Jaune couldn't help but ask. He wanted to know. "What important things?"

"You'll find out soon enough."

Jaune had no time to question his father's words before his mind suddenly went blank and he collapsed into his father's arms. The only hint that anything was done was a glow of aura in Lucas's hands.

"No matter how many times I watch," Raven comments, "That move always does amaze me."

"Maybe one day, Jaune will know it too." Lucas made sure that Jaune was okay physically. "Not today though."

As silent as a ghost, both parents gave a final prayer to their son.

Then they stepped back.

 **(X)(X)(X)(X)**

 **Somewhere in between…**

Jaune opened his eyes.

He saw nothing but black.

Jaune blinked, but nothing changed. He couldn't see anything still.

He shut his eyes, squeezed them tight, then opened them again.

Nothing still.

Confirming that he couldn't see anything, Jaune began to feel around with his hands. The ground felt like stone, cold hard stone. It was not rough stone nor smooth stone, some twilight place in between.

After verifying that there wasn't going to be a surprise drop anywhere within the vicinity that he laid, Jaune carefully tried to see if there was a low ceiling. He had no intention of getting his head bruised because he couldn't be bothered to check if he had proper head space. To his relief, as he slowly rose, he felt no ceiling or any object above his head. As he stood to his full height, he continued to wave his arms around, finding nothing still.

"Okay, now this is strange." Jaune put his hands down. "I was out with my parents, but now I'm not."

Where were they, he wondered? Did they put him here? If they did, for what reason did they place him here?

Whatever the case, he needed to find a way out of wherever he was, and with a lack of light anywhere, he would need to rely upon his other senses. His mother had been teaching him to use his other senses in the event that his sight was not available to him.

He also had his aura at his disposal, the most convenient in this scenario.

Jaune closed his eyes and focused on directing his aura into his palm, trying to be as efficient as he could manage. His semblance would come in handy here. Forming a mental picture in his mind, he opened his eyes once again.

Now he held a lightly-glowing spark of light, enough to light the area a few meters all around him. It wasn't spectacular lighting, but it certainly would at least give him more to work with.

With his makeshift light source in hand, the boy began to walk forward.

Imagine a darkness that had no end to it, then imagine the sound of unnatural silence, and finally add a sense of emptiness. All of these things could only amount to about a tenth of what Jaune was feeling right now.

What did it mean?

 _I'm all alone. Nobody's coming to help me. It's just me and my body and mind._

Now would be a more than ideal time to start cracking up. It certainly was a very tempting idea to pray to a spirit or god and hope for a way out of this place. Or maybe it would be better to crawl down on the floor again and cry. Perhaps his parents might heed him. Better yet, he could always do nothing and wait until he died of dehydration.

That, or die of the crushing darkness. Without not enough on his mind, he could only think about how the blackness all around was more than just a simple blackness. It clawed at him, tried to rip his soul out. The very atmosphere could be thought of as alive and ravenous.

His irises looked to his light source.

That light, it gave a sense of amenity, a sense of warmth.

He could do this. He could keep going.

So he did.

His foot hit something, and Jaune directed his aura light to see that there was a single stone jutting out of the floor. Strange, it would seem that this was the only object that was… out of place on the smooth stone.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw something resonate from his own light. Approaching the source carefully, he saw something interesting.

They was writing on a nearby wall, a language that Jaune knew nothing about. It might be some ancient language or dialect or both perhaps. He could make out some basic letters and maybe a word or two, but it was incomprehensible to him still.

The drawings, however weren't as difficult to understand. It depicted a group of people stabbing at Grimm with classical swords. It looked like these warriors were some early form of knights. The drawings were crude, but the figures were clearly wearing armor from head to toe. What was the significance of this battle?

Then his eyes were drawn to a figure in the middle. What he was saw on the shield was something he absolutely knew of.

At the center was an armored knight brandishing the Arc family symbol, the very familiy dual golden crests.

A thought came to Jaune's mind and he followed the wall.

There, another picture, this time rendered in better quality, though not as well as he wished it to be. And there again was the Arc family symbol, this time with what appeared to be a different armor type.

Further down, there was yet another drawing, this one looking even more refined and more clear. It was a classical knight in the books, and the symbol of his family right there as plain as day.

It would seem like a lifetime as he shuffled through the drawings. There had to be dozens of them, all of them with a unique story to tell. Not all of the people were warriors, and the ones that were didn't all fight the creatures of Grimm.

But there was a sort of pattern. It would seem each contributor to this wall was something of a hero in one form or another, or that's what it seemed like. As far as he could tell, all of them were the good guys.

The final picture that ended the wall of the Arc family history was someone he knew all too well.

 _That's my father._ Jaune's eyes widened. _My father's here._

Indeed, there was Lucas Arc, but not with a weapon drawn. No, he looked like he was talking to people, and over a table no less. Was he compromising? Jaune knew his father to talk before he fought.

From that point on, there were no further drawings.

Strangely, the wall ended at that point. Even more strange, there was another wall to the opposite side that wasn't there before. There was nothing on it.

Jaune's aura light began to flicker. He noticed he was down to about half of his aura. He tried to lower the intensity of the light in his palm. He was feeling a bit winded as well. He was being wasteful again by diverting all his attention to one activity only. His mother had warned him against this as did his father. It was only thanks to his aura conditioning and disciplining that he hadn't wasted any more.

Now that his questions were satiated, he returned to reality; he was still trapped and he was no closer to finding a solution.

He regarded his father on the wall.

Then he looked back at the darkness.

Then back to his father's portrait.

He reached out a hand to touch the wall.

Then the wall began to collapse at his touch. No, collapse was the wrong word. It was shifting away from him. Then it folded behind the previous painting of his grandfather to reveal a dimly-lit passageway.

 _This just keeps getting weirder all the time._

Extinguishing his aura light his eyes readjusted to the darkness around him. He was in a circle room, all of it still made of stone, lit only by four perfectly aligned torches. The flames burned a normal color.

But the room was empty, and when Jaune looked to the door, it was mysteriously gone without a trace. He blinked, and it still wasn't there. He even went to check on the wall with his hands.

Nothing. No seams, no cracks. It was just a wall.

What now?

Jaune began to explore for ideas. What had his mother and father taught him about situations like this one?

 _When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade._

No, that wasn't it. What did that even mean, the boy wondered sometimes.

 _The only fears are the ones we place within our minds._

No, that wasn't it either. He wasn't afraid of the things other children were afraid of.

 _If you cannot find a solution to the problem, then make a solution._

Right, that was the one.

With a renewed mind, Jaune stepped back into the center of the room. Standing on the exact center, he gazed around the room. There were markings on the wall, incomprehensible to him, but it looked like a language. As he had observed, there was no sign of any obvious escape route.

Perhaps he had to search deeper, look for the less obvious.

Taking a breath, he once again powered up his aura, letting its energy flow through his body and radiate out. He was unsure what effect would take place, but it was better than staring at walls.

The flames lighting the room changed to a pure white color, and the light became much brighter.

"Greetings, guardian." A deep voice boomed.

Jaune jumped at this, his head flinging all around to find where the source of that voice came from. He didn't have to wait long as another figure entered.

A glowing white figure in ancient and archaic armor stepped forward, his sword at his side and his shield placed on his back. The only part of the figure not covered were his eyes, big green eyes.

"What are you?"

"I am the first." Another rousing boom. "All who bear the name of the Arc clan are my progeny, my legacy."

"So you're like my grandfather, except with a lot of "greats?" Jaune tilted his head in wonder.

"Yes, child." The knight nodded his head. "I am Arthur Arc."

"I'm Jaune Arc." Jaune stuck his hand out.

The image merely laughed at this gesture. "Your father once gave me a similar greeting when he was a mere boy."

"You know my dad?"

"If one carries my blood, then I know all there is to know about them." In spite of the laughter, the knight shook his head. Jaune was surprised to feel an actual hand. "Your are strong."

"Mom said that once to me." Jaune's grin widened at this. "She said I am strong in body and mind."

"Your mother." The image pondered on this. "She is impure."

"Impure?" The question came rolling out of the boy's mouth.

"Her conscious is muddled with evil acts and beliefs." Arthur only observed his descendant. "That is not befitting of an Arc."

The moment the word evil was associated with his mother, the blond felt something tugging at his heart. No, his mother wasn't evil. She was different. Why couldn't everyone see that?

"She's not a bad person." Jaune felt a defensive mechanism trigger. "She's doing what she thinks is the right thing."

"She speaks as if an evil act will have good consequences." Arthur shook his act. "No matter what level of evil, evil is still evil."

"But isn't even sometimes, um." Jaune paused in thought for a second. "Necessary? Yeah, that's the word."

"Evil is never necessary." His ancestor immediately refuted. "People who believe that have already taken their first steps into the darkness, and are not able to be saved."

"Then why do people do bad things?"

"A great deal of reasons are given for why people turn to less desirable actions. Hatred, jealousy, greed, anger, or simple cold-heartedness."

"Mom's not an evil person. She's a misunderstood person."

"Others see it differently."

"I don't like you being mean to my mom."

"I'm only speaking truth, child. You mother will lead you on a dark path. If you choose this path, if you choose to go down the path she has walked before, your fate will be sealed."

"I didn't choose her path. I didn't choose my father's path either."

"Then what did you choose?"

"My own path."

"Truly?"

"Compromise." That word Jaune held close to his heart. "I want to compromise, be like both of my parents."

"Compromise cannot always happen in the world. You will be forced to choose at one time or another. And compromise leaves no room for your own path. You will be treading the paths of many."

"No, I'll be what I want to be. The world won't tell me what to do."

"Now you're being selfish and irrational."

"I'm not selfish, and I'm not crazy."

It was painful not to be mad at this ghost that claimed to be his ancestor. How could Jaune not be mad? He loved his mother and she was being insulted like her actions weren't justifiable in any way. That wasn't fair and that wasn't right.

"It would seem your heart is filled with grey shades." Arthur gestured to Jaune. "A desire to be a hero, yet willing to do things no hero would want to do."

"A hero saves people." Jaune said in reply, "How you do it is different from person to person."

They were getting nowhere in this debate, as both of them were becoming increasingly aware. However, the ghost was hardly angry or otherwise upset. On the other hand, Jaune was upset and unhappy. Then again, one was a ghost with thousands of years of patience. The boy was just five years old.

A staring contest ensued, though no blatantly obvious emotions were expressed.

The candles in the room continued to glow.

Silence.

"It appears I cannot dissuade you now." The apparition bowed his head to the floor. "It would seem that for now, your path forward is clear. For now."

"You don't like what I said." Jaune responded, his voice sounding disappointed. "Why?"

"Don't fret, child. We're different, you and I. We come from different ages. I have had centuries to witness the blood of my blood come here. Besides, I am the beginning, nothing more."

"Beginning?"

"All in good time. Unfortunately, I must leave now. Your test is still underway. I wish you the best."

The ghost was gone, and the lights all around flickered and dimmed, leaving only a small amount of visibility.

Jaune tensed up, sensing something dark.

Two empty red eyes glowed directly in front of him. He took a step back. The eyes only followed him until a body came into view.

It was a Beowolf.

Jaune's panic mounted, but so too did his training instincts. Without a proper weapon, he got into an unarmed stance courtesy of Daisy.

The Beowolf swiped a claw at him, and Jaune moved backwards. The much larger creature followed with clear killer intent. Real or not, this was a problem that needed to be dealt with.

 _Grimm have no souls, and we do_. His mother's voice echoed throughout. _They are the enemy. Do not hesitate to kill them when they appear._

Jaune had only faced Grimm a few things, and each time, he felt fear. He knew that it fed them, but he couldn't help but feel fear. Those red eyes were so unlike his mother's eyes or Uncle Qrow's eyes.

The head snapped forward to try and chomp on his arm. He retreated back a foot further. He began to formulate a plan. He didn't have the strength to equal a Beowolf, and lacking a proper weapon, his fists and his boots would need more than a few good hits.

The Grimm approached him again, this time more sluggishly. Jaune puzzled at this lesser show of aggression. It was as if the Grimm was reading him, trying to predict his next move. Could younger Grimm do that?

Then it charged at him again, and this time, Jaune countered with an aura-powered fist to its snout, not enough to kill it, but enough to cause it to retreat and rub its nose. It growled in anger at him.

 _I've got its attention now for sure._

Its next attacks were more furious, more concentrated, more dangerous. It was now trying to pressure him or corner him into a bloody death. He was barely given time to react and no time to counterattack. There were no hits on his aura yet, but with only forty-six percent left, he didn't wish to take chances. He needed to play a conservative game.

Then a thought came to him. He could use his semblance, but how?

He dodged again, and his response was to throw a forcefield that would last until he wished it out of existence or his aura ran dry, which would probably mean he would die in the minutes. What he wanted was a weapon. Any melee weapon would suffice as he'd trained in all form of melee weapons, though daggers were more for him.

 _Wait a minute. What am I thinking? I always have a weapon. My semblance is a weapon. Wow, slow today much?_

He released the force field from his control, and the Beowolf charged forward.

Right into the trap.

Jaune called upon his semblance to form a rough aura dagger. Using his semblance and his brain to the fullest, he caught the Beowolf off guard, slicing a portion of its head off. It growled in pain, retreating a few paces back.

Now more confident in his abilities, he moved in for the kill. The Beowulf tried to hit back, though the effort was in vain.

With a shove, he stabbed deep into the Beowolf's neck; it's choking sounds lasted only seconds before Jaune saw the mist of black that replaced his dead enemy.

"You have proven your strength today." The voice of his ancestor spoke again. "But know this, young warrior. True tests never end."

Jaune's ragged breath prevented him from saying anything, but the words were heard loud and clear.

"Farewell, blood of my blood."

The black mist surrounded the five-year-old again, and this time, he couldn't stop unconsciousness from claiming him. His body collapsed to the ground, his eyes closed.

 **(X)(X)(X)(X)**

 **Somewhere back in Mistral…**

Jaune awoke once again.

He saw the blue sky with nothing to obstruct the sunlight beating down upon him. It felt so nice, so refreshing. If he weren't more pressed, he could just lay there and take a nap, and perhaps sleep for real.

Instead, he sat up slowly, making sure he was physically okay. Then he took stock of his surroundings. He was now somewhere different than where he started, somewhere far different. Instead of a forest, there was a body of water in front of him.

Jaune got to his feet, took a few steps toward the pond, went to his knees, and looked into the reflection.

He was still there.

Nothing had changed.

He regarded the palm of his hands.

Still the same.

Then he noticed something in the reflection. The back of his hand had something on it, something that wasn't there before all of this.

He turned to look at the back of his hand.

On his right hand in red was a cross. It didn't feel like it was anything external, a fact that the boy confirmed when he tried to rub it off and failed to do so.

 _What is this?_

"You've made it."

Jaune immediately jumped up and straightened out, hiding his hands in his pockets. Of course he knew it was his father, but he was still caught by surprise. So too was his mother standing there, neutral as ever.

"Hello, mom and dad."

"You have returned, Jaune." Raven stepped forward, kneeling down, brushing him off of dirt and dust. "Looking no worse for wear, I see."

"I'm fine, but confused." The boy said honestly.

"So was I." Lucas joined the two of them. "But don't let your confusion diminish what you've done here today."

"And what have I done, dad?"

"That's not for me to say." His father shrugged his shoulders in the most casual way. "I wasn't there and I didn't make the choice. You did."

"I guess so." Jaune yawned. "But I wanna go lie down."

"Go ahead." Raven nodded her head. "We'll be around."

He yawned more loudly and began to search for a good spot of sunlight, not another word spoken.

"His path isn't clear." Lucas stared off into the distance. "His heart… it still hasn't settled on one side."

"He's on his own side." Raven replied, casting a glance at him. "I thought you'd know that by now."

"Like me one moment, you like another moment." The huntsman regarded the cross on his own hand. "I'd prefer if he chose a method and stuck to it."

"As would I, Lucas, but he has not." The huntress took a breath in. "Give yourself more credit. He's a boy of much discipline."

"But from who? You or me?"

"Maybe both. We both have our own ways of training and using discipline."

"Quite so."

Their conversation was replaced by the environment all around them. The birds were chirping, the wind was rushing only a bit, the water occasionally splashed, and there came a few calls from animals in the forest.

Both parents turned their heads to see Jaune leaning against a tree, eyes closed, head tilted forward slimy.

Raven left Lucas's side to approach Jaune. The man watched as the lone wolf got on her knees to watch the boy. The child didn't respond except to shift a bit, but he was still out cold, with not even the sound of his breathing being audible.

She threaded a hand through his hair, whispered something that Lucas couldn't hear, then closed her eyes, and pressed a light kiss to his cheek. The boy instinctively inclined his head towards his mother, but still didn't awaken.

These moments were rare, so rare that they could be counted on two hands.

But they were happening.

Raven was being a mother.

Lucas suppressed the urge to coo.

 **(X)(X)(X)(X)**

"Another mission already?" Taiyang look incredulously at his Summer. "You're working yourself too hard. Can't Ozpin lay off?"

"Tai, you know me." Summer fastened her cloak on. "I need to be out there, saving lives however I can. You know that this is my life's passion."

"I know." The T of STRQ had to conceded to that point. Never had he seen a woman who was so determined to be a hero. "But I still keep reminding you so you don't go fighting to your unnecessary death. And you're avoiding the question."

"And I'm being careful." The S of STRQ only smiled at his protective side. "But you should know I know how to take name and kick butt. And Ozpin gives me the best contracts. You know he'd never give me these if he didn't think I could handle them."

"Yeah, yeah, you're right." He sighed again. "Still doesn't make me feel better."

The white-clad huntress knew the true source of Taiyang's worry. Were she not in the position that she was, it wouldn't be so much of a problem. He'd probably just remind her every now and then, not every time she left for a mission, but like it or not, she was here now, and there was no turning back.

"I can't die now." She reminded him. "I've got too many people looking forward to my return."

"Mama!" The sound of two voices and many footsteps came to the ears of both parents. "Don't go!"

"And speaking of those people." Taiyang spoke. "Ruby, Yang, say goodbye to mom before she leaves."

"But we don't want you to go!" Yang pleaded. "We love you!"

"Mama, don't leave!" Ruby tugged on her leg. "Stay!"

"Girl!" The woman leaned down. "I have to go."

"But WHY!" Both girls shouted.

"Because I have to be a hero."

"Like in the books?" Ruby inquired, her head tilted in wonder.

"Just like in the books, precious." Summer pinched her cheek. "I gotta save people."

"Saving people is good." Ruby bounced up. "I wanna save people too!"

"I wanna go have adventure!" Yang jumped in. "Can we go with you?"

"Not now, but one day, you two can become huntresses. One day, but not too soon."

"Aw!" Their whining was adorable.

"Be good for papa." A kiss to the forehead for each of them. "I'll back before you know it."

They still didn't look happy, but eventually, the two siblings had to let go of the huntress. A wave of goodbye and a shout was the last farewell before she took off down the dirt road.

The life of a huntress slows seldom.

Especially in her case.

* * *

 **A bit delayed, and I'm afraid that this may come with another delay in the following chapter. Even though finals are a long ways away, I've still got considerable work to do leading up to them.**

 **In any case, I've got to get some important events into the story before Jaune can accelerate into Beacon Academy. As I've said before, this story focuses primarily on moral dilemmas, but also just as importantly, family.**

 **Fight scenes will serve more than just for action's sake. Each fight, I hope, will deliver a sort of insight into Jaune and his path forward.**

 **So I've been reading reviews and it seems that the consensus is really split on who people think I should romance Jaune with considering circumstances. To that end, I'm going to need a better way to record popular demand, so I'm going to be posting a poll on my profile page and letting you the viewers voice your OTP. If you think another character should be added to the list, PM me and tell me why you think so.**

 **A word of warning: there will be no harems. This is a serious story, not comedy, and even so, harems just aren't my style.**

 **So what did you guys think of this chapter? Good? Bad? Same old, same old? Leave a review and let me know.**

 **I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter, and remember:**

 _ **"There is no great genius without some touch of madness."**_

 **Aristole**

 **Peace!**


	4. Chapter 4: No Turning Back

Chapter 4: No Turning Back

 **Arc Household…**

 **3 Days Later…**

Jaune let out a mighty breath of air, then another deep breath in. The grass in front of his face blurred as he tried to right himself.

Then the world spun around him and he landed on his back with a loud smack.

Again.

For the seventeenth time in three hours.

He groaned in frustration. He'd hoped to be defeated less times, but then again, his opponent was a vastly superior opponent in physical stature, mental maturity, and experience. His opponent had him outclassed in every way.

And she was standing over him, a hand held out.

"You're getting better at this, Jaune." His stepmother grinned at his attempt to stave off his growing exhaustion. "But I think you've had enough for today."

"Agreed." Jaune didn't disagree with her assessment. "I'm beat, and hungry, and tired."

"Well, we've been at this for a while, little man, and you held your own for what it's worth." Lucas stood a few meters away. "So I think you've earned it."

He was sweaty as hell, his hair was all mangled up, his whole body was sore, and his pride was wounded. That was how every training session was. It didn't matter who was training him. Be it his father, his mother, or his stepmother, the results were the same. They all said that time and growth would make him better. One day, he could look forward to a victory, but that wouldn't come until he failed a lot of times.

Jaune didn't want to fail, but he couldn't quit either, even if he wanted to in this moment. Too much was riding on his shoulders. As an Arc, he had to become as strong as he was able. Fate didn't decree it be so, and his parents certainly weren't telling him outright to be a warrior, but the boy couldn't help but feel an obligation to help as a strong aura wielder and prodigy fighter.

His thoughts were interrupted as he felt something close to his face. Still laying on the ground, he saw his stepmother holding a bottle of water in front of him. He grabbed it and popped the cap from the top before taking a brief gulp. The cold water felt very nice to his systems.

"Thanks." Jaune sat up more so he wouldn't lose water, and gasped in delight. "So good."

Daisy took a seat next to him. "I'm happy with your progress, little man." She ruffled his hair a little bit.

"We all are." Lucas took a seat as well. "I know that hand-to-hand isn't something you like, Jaune, but you need to know how to defend yourself without a weapon."

"I know." Jaune groaned, laying back down on the grass, the bottle left at his side. "A weapon, however treasured, is ultimately expendable. I am the real weapon behind my sword."

"I'm glad that some people take that to heart, unlike someone I know." Daisy gave an eyeful to her husband. "Lucas…"

Lucas tried to wave off his wife, but to no avail, as he found his face slightly flustered. "What can I say? I like my sword."

"Child." Daisy muttered. "Why did I marry you again?"

"C'mon, what's not to like about 'this?'" Lucas pointed to himself, looking real proud while doing it. "I'm just all that."

"Yeah right." Daisy still smiled at his fake attempt at confidence. "False bravado doesn't suit you, my husband."

Even with his eyes closed and his mind focused on his breathing, Jaune could vaguely hear them both playfully bantering with each other. It was like this virtually everyday: both Daisy and Lucas making jabs back and forth at each other.

Jaune sat back up again, but he didn't stay down for long as his gaze lingered back to the house, and leaning on the nearby tree was a very familiar person.

"UNCLE QROW!"

With his training and aura, Jaune rushed up to hug his uncle around the waist. The huntsman ruffled his hair in return.

"Hey there, little man."

"What are you doing here?" The boy separated from his uncle. "Is mother with you?"

"You mom's not coming." Qrow informed his nephew. "You'll be training with me."

"Awww."

"What was that?"

"Um, I mean cool!" Jaune exclaimed hurriedly. "I'll go get my gear."

"And don't forget to bring some dust while you're at it." Qrow called out as Jaune went inside the house.

The sound of the porch door opening and closing was his response. Qrow chuckled a bit at this.

"Qrow." He watched as Lucas walked up to him. "Where is Raven really?"

"Dunno, didn't care to ask." Qrow shrugged his shoulders. "And even if I did, it was one of those 'I don't wanna talk about it' kinda things."

"Of course." Lucas put a hand to his forehead. "It's Raven."

"That it is." Qrow took another swig. "Daisy, lookin' good."

"Are you referring to me fighting or me personally?" Daisy crossed her arms. "Because if it's the latter, then you do realize that I'm married?"

"Sheesh." Qrow capped his flask. "Take the fun out of life, why don't ya."

"At least some of us maintain our dignity, old friend." Lucas patted him on the back. "But with you and Raven, eh…"

"Oh woe is me." Qrow gave a pointed glare. "And screw you too buddy. I've got plenty of dignity where it counts."

"We both love you too," Daisy chimed in. "You dusty old crow."

"Then by your own words, you two are old too." Qrow gestured.

Both the Arcs just shrugged.

The door to the front porch opened and closed again, and out came Jaune with his backpack ready to go. Crocea Mors was slotted into a back holster. He looked more than ready to go.

"Ready!" Jaune chirped.

"Then let's get goin' little man. I'll bring him back around the same time that Raven would bring him back."

"You'd better not do anything stupid, Qrow." Lucas adopted a dangerous look. "Or I will have your head."

"Hey," Qrow looked incredulous. "It's me!"

"That doesn't make me feel better," Daisy sighed a great sigh.

"I said goodbye to everyone!" Jaune informed his father and stepmother.

"Even though they're asleep?" Lucas gave a questioning glance.

"They heard me." Jaune reasoned.

It was good enough of a reason for a child. Both parents just nodded to each other. Child logic never made much sense to them, but best to indulge in this instance.

 **(X)(X)(X)(X)**

 **A day later…**

It was suppose to be a normal mission.

Summer was no pushover when it came to hunting down the creatures of Grimm. She was a huntress, a silver-eyed warrior, the latter she was still working to improve upon even to this day, and something else. She was the former leader of Team STRQ; of course she had to be awesome and badass while taking the Grimm down.

But as awesome and as badass as she could be, she was only one person, and one person against dozens of countless Grimm, whatever the size, species, or intelligence, was not good odds.

Right now, she was debating on a plan of attack. She was out in the Grimm badlands, with the only sign of human or faunus activity being the remnants of failed or overrun villages. The Grimm had long since moved in and were content to keep patrolling these parts, even if there were no more enemies to kill.

What Summer sought was within an abandoned library. It wasn't uncommon for people to leave behind things while fleeing for their lives, and Ozpin was a firm believer that this village once held the key to something big.

She had asked him naturally what said big thing was, and he simply said it was a way to even the odds against the enemy of Mankind.

It wasn't what Summer wished for a response, but how could she really find it in herself to complain at Ozpin? She had been doing this to Taiyang for years, telling him things that were not lies, but were also not true either. And to make matters worse, either he knew and didn't care or he still had no idea. Both options weren't welcome in any event.

Still, Ozpin and Qrow had stressed the need for secrecy, and like it or not, it was for the protection of the world, and in order to protect the world, secrecy was needed.

The library was right up ahead, plan as day amongst the smaller and more humble homes. Surprisingly, the structures still stood like there were people still living here. Apart from a few scars and maybe one or two collapsed buildings, it still looked somewhat presentable. This had to have been one of the more successful evacuations judging by the lack of any real severe damage. That was a good thing; what she sought would more than likely be in better condition.

Pulling up her scroll, Summer did a third check on the object. She had committed it to memory for the trip here, but now she had to be sure that she hadn't missed a single detail, though by the detailed description that she was given, this final check was a bit redundant. Well, better safe than sorry, she supposed.

Her hood still on, and her cloak a bit tattered from the journey, she leaped to the next tree, keeping quiet for ten seconds to see and hear for any nearby Grimm. When she clear, she repeated the process again. Then a third time.

It was a delicate art of stealth and timing, all taught by her teammates. She wouldn't call it her favorite thing to learn, but charging in like a madwoman wasn't going to get her closer to her target.

An Ursa Major passed by below her, and she stopped moving, only allowing her head to move as she tracked it as well as the lesser Ursai following their leader.

Summer leaped to the next tree, and to her dismay, found a building as the next object. With virtually no cover and no means of hiding, she had to time this one right. If even one saw her, then it was bye-bye stealth and hello Grimm horde.

The first thing she did was check for Nevermore and Griffons. If they were here, then she would have to create an opening to exploit, not an easy task given that her cover also blocked visibility from various angles.

So what could she do up here?

Summer reached into her belt to retrieve a dust grenade. She had made sure to pack some ordinance for this trip, knowing that firepower was a must when it came to populations of Grimm this high. She didn't think it coincidental that this place was heavily infested, but the reasons for infestation could vary.

No matter the case, Summer took a breath before activating the timer on the grenade. A tiny light blinked red, signalling that grenade was loaded with fire dust. She didn't have too long to hold it though.

Two seconds passed.

She kept steady.

Another three seconds.

Almost there.

Another second.

She tossed the grenade into a cluster of Beowolves.

It exploded the moment it hit the ground, and for those not killed in the initial explosion, they were caught on fire, and burning to death.

The explosion and sound it caused would be the opening she needed, just barely enough time to hop to the building and get on her stomach in order to mask her presence from the Grimm below. So far, no aerial Grimm, but best not to push luck.

As fast as she could, she made he way to the next rooftop, throwing another grenade into the streets, this one an ice grenade. As expected various forms of ice began to form. Some formed on the ground prompting Grimm without proper footing to slip and fall while others were impaled by jutting spikes.

This wouldn't be a quiet mission now, but there was still the element of surprise on her side. She just needed to get another hundred meters or so.

An Ursa roared loudly. Time to kick up the game a notch or two.

Her cloak lightly fluttering behind her, Summer leaped to another rooftop. There it was, the library.

She just had to get in.

She took another breath and leaped a great leap to the rooftop of the much larger structure. As she leaped, she tossed another grenade, this one a lightning grenade. The ensuring detonation sent shockwaves throughout a radius.

Summer took the chance to slip in through a shattered window, dropping down into a really dusty room.

As she had hoped, the library had hardly been touched. Only a few books were strewn across the floor and tables.

It wasn't a large library, but had more than enough to sort through, and with the Grimm outside, there was no telling how long she had.

"Where's Qrow when I need him?" Summer grumbled under her breath. "What's more important than helping his team leader?"

 **(X)(X)(X)(X)**

"C'mon kid, I know you can transform, so do it." Qrow looked down at his nephew with disappointment. "And don't pull that 'I can't fly' BS."

"What good is the form if I can't fly?" Jaune could be surprisingly lippy in some cases. "I need to grow more before I can fly."

"Little man, there's a saying." Qrow set down his weapon. "Sometimes, you gotta run before you can walk."

"Do all of you exist to make me suffer endless training?" Jaune groaned, not uncommon when arguing with Qrow. "Dad's training me in classical sword fighting, mom's teaching me infiltration, manipulation, assassination, my other form, Daisy's on me about hand-to-hand, and you're teaching me to wield a scythe when I know that I'm never going to use one."

"You want to be a huntsman? You gotta do the training, and I thought for someone with your skills and talent, you'd suck it up." Qrow remained staunch.

"Doesn't mean I have to like all of it." Jaune took a breath, flexed his arms, and stood straight. "And I'm being serious. I can only transform, but nothing else besides moving my legs."

"Good enough of a start. You won't be able to fly for at least another few years, but that doesn't mean you can't condition your body further."

Jaune sighed. "I guess I'd better get started."

It was true that he couldn't fly, and that's what frustrated him the most. Both Uncle Qrow and his mother could do it, so why couldn't he do it? They said it was because of age, and while that was a logical response, it was still not cool, and it sounded like a lame excuse.

But he still couldn't fly.

Concentrating only a portion of his energy, Jaune felt nothing as he transitioned yet again into his other form. The process was becoming more and more natural to him, and at times, he could transition without so much as a tingling sensation.

The world looked so different as each tree, each rock, each blade of grass, was much larger to his eyes. Even more strange was how much different the world looked. His eyes now were much different, much more pristine, a much wider view. His mother had said that birds required excellent vision in order to fly, but as the saying went, knowing and doing? Two different things.

Qrow too had transformed. To a passer-byer, it was a bizarre thing. Two birds, one a baby chick, and the other a fully grown crow in the middle of a forest, in a staring contest of sorts. Yeah, definitely nothing abnormal here.

The little one put his muscles to work and walk around a bit, chirping as he did so. The only thing the crow did was watch him, which presented an even more unusual sight.

The forest around them still continued on as it always did. The sounds of other birds chirping, the wind rustling leaves and gently pushing grass this way and that way.

These exercises were self-explanatory: do physical exercises that would strengthen this alternate form. For now, that involved running about, jumping, and flapping his wings even if flight wasn't going to happen.

A squawk from Qrow told him to get moving, and that he did. Since his bird form was all about agility, reflexes, and reaction times until he could get his flight feathers, it was time to combat Qrow in this form.

From a neutral point of view though, combating wouldn't be an appropriate word to describe said event going on. It was more like a mauling.

Jaune knew Qrow to be a very harsh teacher. Sometimes, the boy would call the man ruthless, but in hindsight, his uncle was a bit more lenient than his mother was. Maybe it was because the huntsman took a bit of pity on him, or maybe he was trying to show a more compassionate side to the Branwen blood.

The chick hopped away, but the crow was on him again, and the chick kept weaving, ducking, dodging, anything but attacking. He wasn't strong enough to take on the crow by conventional and traditional means, so his best chance was to outlast him long enough to create an opening.

As good of a strategy as it was, it could also be predictable given his lack of attacks.

Something that Qrow was catching onto.

 _Damn. Sorry, dad._ He tried to never say or think bad words. _Okay, plan B?_

But what was plan B?

Run and think of a plan C?

Yep, that sounded about right, not that he was going to do anything much differently than what he was once doing.

He stumbled over a rock in his path, and only by raising his wings could he get back some form of balance again. Then he was off again, trying to survive an onslaught of attacks. This was painful and embarrassing all at once.

Today would not be the day he'd win the fight, but as his father once said, it took many failures to create a success and anyone who said they were perfect was lying. Today's loss would one day become tomorrow's victory.

Jaune would see that victory one day.

 **(X)(X)(X)(X)**

Raven hung back and gazed upon her target.

Well, at least where her target had went. She had lost the line of sight, but she knew the target was within the building.

All she needed to do was wait.

The Grimm around her weren't a concern. She knew very well how to keep a lid on her emotions, the ones that mattered in this moment, but regardless of how well she kept her cool, she kept one eye and ear out for potential attackers to dispatch.

Being here wasn't a choice she made easily. It irked her that she could not be the one to train Jaune now and Qrow was taking her place in her absence. Jaune was her son, and she wanted to oversee as much of his training and maturity as much as she could. He had a duty to fulfill, and he seemed to be showing vast promise.

This, however, concerned something very personal as well, as much as she didn't wish to face it, she had to. In the end, she could allow the fact that she'd seen Jaune quite often in his life even if she wasn't always there. This hadn't been attended to for years.

It was becoming something of a problem for her.

Raven had her blade ready for use and coated with red dust courtesy of her dust chamber sheathe. If she had to, she'd rather just go in swords slashing. She had her means of escaping should push come to shove. Really, a lot of time was being wasted by certain elements prolonging what should've been a simple mission.

 _She's really at it again._ Raven let a small smile creep up on her.

Her black hair fluttered in the wind as she gazed hard. About six minutes had ticked off the clock.

The Grimm seemed to be unsure about what to do. Between the commotion outside and lack of emotions giving away Humans or Faunus, they were trying to regather themselves and find their enemy.

Her hand brandished her sword as she slowly drew it out of the sheathe, taking a moment to listen to the satisfying metal-against-metal sound it made. Once she knew it was free from its confines, she swung experimentally to test that the weight and balance were as she remembered it to be. Finding no faults, she took a dive.

Then she let her alternate form take flight.

The wind around her and her descent gave enough for her to immediately rise up and level out. Gliding with some manner of speed, she took note of the Grimm surrounding the area. This many Grimm in one area was hardly the result of just wandering. They had to be after something or protecting something, not that the latter happened often or made any sense. The Grimm destroyed man and all of his creations.

 _Unless someone tells them that otherwise._

Raven was no fool to believe that the creatures of Grimm were aimless beasts in the world of Remnant, because if they were completely without intelligence, then they should've already been destroyed centuries ago. Mankind was strong, wise, and resourceful, traits that can easily overpower mindlessness.

The question was this: what were the Grimm doing here?

The screech of a Nevermore had the huntress shifting her flight path to avoid bumping into it. Even if the Grimm couldn't detect that she was Human, she still wanted to keep her distance. In this form, she was more vulnerable to attack. It would be her reflexes and her reaction that would save her right now.

The massive shadow passed over her, but she was otherwise fine. She just kept on flying, her head moving all around to keep the enemy within her sight.

A nearby structure provided her with a post in which to settle herself down and fold her wings, her red eyes blinking.

Whatever the target was searching for, she didn't have much time left to do it. Grimm were beginning to poke through each and every building in an attempt to find who had intruded upon their territory, and they were not known to leave stones unturned.

 _I know that you are better than this._ Raven narrowed her eyes. _So unless what you seek is elusive or otherwise buried under a ton of other things…_

Realizing that impatience was taking ahold of her, the huntress steadied her own thoughts as well as her body. This was really winding her up more than anything else had in years. This problem may have been more troublesome than she cared to admit.

An explosion caught her attention and her head turned to see several grenades tossed into the street. The reaction was fire, lightning, and ice. The fire and lightning served to make quite the blast radius while the ice chunks served as additional projectiles. At least nine Grimm were dead upon the explosion alone. Six more were impaled with extremely potent ice shrapnels. Their bodies began to disappear.

Raven unfolded her wings and prepared to take flight just as soon as she saw the target emerge.

The entrance exploded and out came a flash of something white.

A white cloak.

The perched raven took flight and began to initiate attack patterns. Setting her wings to a dive, she began to approach the ground at blazing speeds.

With a thought, Raven once again felt her true form. Using her momentum, she drew her blade and directed several slashes of fire at an Ursa Major and a Beowolf Major. She followed up by decapitating four Beowolves in mid-flight.

Once her feet touched the ground, she dashed around, dispatching Boarbatusks who had joined the frey. A Griffin tried to clip her, but she sheared it in half.

The Grimm seemed to pick up on the fact that they couldn't win now, so they began to pull back.

Once all immediate enemies were a distance away, she sheathed her weapon.

"Raven."

Both huntresses faced each other.

"Summer."

 **(X)(X)(X)(X)**

Both women regarded each other without any sort of warm emotions. It was a moment of tension.

Then they both stepped forward and clasped each other's hand.

"I've missed you." Summer felt her eyes water a bit. "Tai misses you."

"I know." Raven lowered her eyes. "But I cannot go back."

"You know that's not true." Summer's voice was soft, but firm. "What are you afraid of?"

"Nothing." Raven's response was simple, but also firm. "Nothing at all."

The sound of a Nevermore nearby alerted them both to prepare for combat.

"We'll talk about it later." Summer swiped her cloak aside. "Right now, our priority is to get this package to Ozpin."

"I don't suppose you'll tell me what it is?" Raven held herself ready. "Or is this classified?"

"What do you think?" Summer retorted playfully.

"It didn't hurt to ask." Raven replied in kind.

It felt just like old times again fighting together in synchronization.

And here were the Grimm now, ready for round two, and with greater numbers and superior backup.

"Now this is the way to go!" Summer cried out. "You never feel more alive than when you're about to die."

"Your insanity never fails to amaze me." Raven spoke back. "And I mean never."

"I appreciate the vote of confidence." Summer grinned from ear to ear. "Now let's kick some Grimm tail."

Summer powered up her aura and sent shockwaves through the ground, blowing away the lesser of the Grimm. Only the majors had sense enough to evade or were strong enough to tank the damage.

Summer and Raven only had to momentarily recall their partner attacks.

"Rosebird."

The moment kicked in as Raven unleashed a portal and Summer jumped in without hesitation. The portal closed, and the Grimm were still approaching. Then the portal reopened, and Summer tumbled out kicking the living daylights out of an Ursa Major.

The Grimm were confused that a huntress was suddenly in their midst, but by the time they tried to retaliate back, the white-clad huntress had already inflicted damage, and was gone through another portal.

Ravan casually swiped a Beowolf as she kept herself on the move. Her mind had to focus on herself and Summer. It was something she had to get reaccustomed to.

Summer appeared again, this time from the sky and in her hand, a water grenade in her hand. Instead of using the detonator, she instead resorted to using her raw aura to trigger it. The energy from her aura combined with the dust caused steam to erupt. The Grimm were now blind to their surroundings.

In their moments of weakness, they were completely unaware of Raven's phantom form as she quietly and swiftly slit throat after throat. Grimm after Grimm were felled as the blade worked through their ranks.

By the time the steam dissipated, it was instead replaced with the rising ashes of the fallen twisted creatures.

The sound of Nevermore feathers flying towards Raven caused her to use minimal body movement in order to protect herself. One feather just grazed the edge of her sheathe while another barely missed her nose as she turned her head.

The sword-wielder tried to strike back by infusing her blade with aura and slashing the energy at the Nevermore. The giant Grimm was able to move quickly out of the way and then fly back into the sky where it was out of range.

With the most of the land Grimm taken down, they could now focus all of their efforts on taking out the flying enemy.

"Your turn?" Summer asked.

"My turn." Raven nodded.

Another portal was made, but this time, Raven ran through it and disappeared.

Now Summer's goal was to give Raven the opening, an easy task what with the powers that she held.

The S of STRQ began to call upon one of her powers, her eyes lighting up. She remained mostly still as she began to work her magic.

Nothing seemed to be happening at first, but then the temperature all around seemed to become colder, as if all of the warmth was being drained from the atmosphere. The noticeable change in temperature seemed to make the Nevermore more unsettled as it screeched more and began to descend to where Summer stood out in the open.

The Nevermore approached again, aiming to split Summer in half, yet she didn't move from where she channeled more of her power.

A portal then appeared above the intended path, and as it flew under the red gateway, Raven landed on its back and sliced her sword into its back. She stopped only to stabilize herself before allowing herself to slide against its wing, dragging her blade along to tear through the flying appendage.

The Nevermore began to spiral down and tumble out of control. Raven took this as he cue to hop off and transform back into her alternate form, flying only long enough so she could transform back and hit the ground on her two feet without damage.

The flying Grimm had spiraled into a house before crashing into it, still alive, but heavily crippled and ultimately not a threat unless someone did something really stupid.

Summer took a breath and began to reverse what she had just been doing, returning the heat back to the atmosphere, and returning everything to normal. Raven watched without the slightest bit of emotion on her face, though her mind told a different story.

"What in Remnant have you been doing?" Raven placed her hands on her hips. "I knew you to be good, but this…"

"Eh… I got better?" Summer tried to play it off, with no success, so she tried again. "Look, it's a sort of secret. I'm under strict orders not to say anything."

"Ozpin." Raven deduced immediately. "There's not a man in this world who carries more secrets than he does."

"Yeah, true that." Summer's eyes regarded Raven. "So why are you here Raven? You didn't come here just to spy on me and help me."

"My reasons are my own." Raven stepped back. "And I have what I need."

Raven slashed behind her and let another portal be seen.

"That's it!?" Summer dashed into Raven's path. "You won't see Tai?! You won't see Yang?!"

"I did not come here to reunite." Raven said in an even tone. "I came here with my own mission and my own goals. I have completed them."

Maybe if they were younger, Summer might just yell back and escalate the argument, and Raven wouldn't put it past her team leader to do it now given that this was an extremely sensitive subject for everyone. Summer was very passionate when it came disputes between the team; it stood to reason that that hadn't changed.

"So what was all that back there!?" Summer gestured to the destruction all around them. "We're back in action like nothing ever happened?! Do you think you can just waltz back my life and act like we're fine!?"

"It was not my intent to walk back into your lives." Raven spoke softly, but began to show more emotion. "It never was."

"That is a load of trash and you know it!" Summer stepped forward, eyes glaring. "So just say it! Say that you screwed up!"

"I will not!" Raven vented back. "I have done nothing wrong!"

"Nothing wrong?!" Summer crushed her hands into tight fists. "NOTHING WRONG?! DO I LOOK LIKE I WAS BORN YESTERDAY!?"

"YES!"

Both of them were too far gone to realize just what their anger had done. They would never get the chance to recover from their error.

And when Nevermore feathers came barrelling from seemingly out of nowhere, the only thing she could do was push Raven out of the way.

That was when she felt something cause so much pain to her body, but she tried to keep a lid on her mouth.

Summer couldn't get up now. She felt so numb.

Then Raven appeared by her side, looking down at the damage, and was visibly upset by it.

"I'm fine." Summer tried to get up. "See?"

Raven barely had enough time to raise another portal for the Nevermore feathers to redirect the large projectiles.

"We need to go." Raven picked up her friend. "Now."

Without another word of protest, Raven took off into the original portal she made to make her exit. Never before had she moved so swiftly.

With her energy not at full strength, Raven could only teleport so far, but it was far enough to assess the extent of Summer's injuries.

Finding a place against a soft mound of grass, Raven quickly assessed the injuries, but one look told her all she needed.

The entire side of Summer was sheared away, and it was only by aura clotting the blood flow that she was even conscious and alive. Another smaller feather was buried in her stomach. Raven knew this could only end one way. They had no time to reach a proper medical facility and the red-clad huntress didn't possess the means to heal injuries this grievous.

"I know that look." Summer's gasps brought her back. "Someone's about to die."

"You're about to die." Raven didn't even bother to hold back.

"Serves us right for being stupid bitches." Summer laughed, then coughed, holding her 'healed' side in pain. "I'm sorry, Raven."

"No, I'm sorry." Raven held Summer's hand.

"Just…" Another cough, then a ragged breath. "Two favors."

Raven held Summer's eyes intently.

"Make this... less painless. And… AAHH… try to reconcile."

"Your first request is acceptable. The second though…"

"Please…" The life from her eyes was ebbing. "For us?"

"… not this day." Crimson eyes watered.

"But one day."

"… one day."

The last vestige of a smile before she coughed again in a fit.

"Goodbye, Summer."

"… so long… partner."

Raven crushed her second thoughts, brought her sword up, and stabbed once.

Then there was no more sound.

For all but a moment.

Then from the body of her lifeless friend, came a bright light.

The huntress had no time to react as it completely surrounded her body. She was aglow with this… whatever it was.

And she felt… powerful, more powerful than she'd ever felt in her entire life.

Then as soon as she felt this immense power, it dimmed down. It was still there, but it felt subdued, under control.

Whatever it was, she would figure it out later.

Right now, she had business to finish up.

 **(X)(X)(X)(X)**

Ozpin didn't respond in the slightest as he saw the familiar sight of a portal in his office. And he wasn't surprised to see Raven coming through said portal.

But he couldn't deny the feelings of loss at the sight of Summer Rose, bloodied, limp, and lifeless.

He couldn't deny the hurt when he saw Raven's icy look, a look directed at him.

And he also couldn't deny the undeniable power that once flowed through Summer's body that now flowed in Raven.

No words were exchanged, only the tossing of a dusty old book on his desk, then the huntress left.

Leaving Ozpin to inform two individuals of this event.

 **(X)(X)(X)(X)**

Qrow received a messaged on his scroll.

Jaune noticed his uncle with an intense look, and though he wanted to question it, he felt that it wasn't the best thing to do now.

"Change of plans, little man." Qrow shut it off. "I'm taking you back home."

Without question, the little boy began to gather his things. Qrow did the same, and his face remained unchanged.

Jaune might be a child, but even he knew that something was very wrong if it got his uncle to be like he was now.

 **(X)(X)(X)(X)**

Taiyang felt his scroll jumble, and he checked to see who it was.

Ozpin.

Puzzled, he opened the message, read the words on it.

Only to freeze in his tracks, then drop his scroll, causing it to smash into pieces as it hit the ground.

His heart.

He collapsed to his knees.

He let his tears be known.

"Daddy?"

Not even he could hear his two daughters as they called out to him.

He still didn't heed or acknowledge them as they surrounded him and tried to make him feel better.

Why?

Why?!

WHY!?

* * *

 **So... is anyone readying their weapons to kill me?**

 **Don't think it's over yet. Absolutely not. This story is going to potentially pull on strings depending on how you feel about characters. The plan's already in motion, so don't try to convince me otherwise.**

 **And apparently, the polls are mirroring my thoughts. Ruby seems to be the number one pick for a romance, and in a way, I'm inclined to agree with that. Still, romance is not the main genre, so no promises.**

 **So what did you guys think? Good? Bad? Meh? I hate you? Reviews will be appreciated regardless of what you think.**

 **I hope you enjoyed reading and remember:**

 _ **"For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong."**_

 **H. L. Mencken**

 **Peace out!**


	5. Chapter 5: A Maiden's Mark

Chapter 5: A Maiden's Mark

 **Approaching the Arc Household…**

 **Seven Days Later…**

Raven didn't dwell on Summer's death. There was no need to do so. What was done was done.

A friend, someone she truly cared about, had died in the line of duty. Raven called it a foolish and wasteful death, though Summer would disagree because she went down fighting the enemy that she swore to destroy. Raven despised weakness, and she was not sad when the weak died.

But Summer was not weak. She was strong, and much to Raven's dismay, stronger than herself in many ways. It was a shame she died.

She could've done so much more.

Contradictory? Yes, but she would not be making very many of those. Perhaps her brother might be the only other one. Taiyang was no longer worth the effort. She knew that he was a complete wreck now. Who knew if he'd ever truly recover, and at this point, it mattered not to her in the least.

Raven had said nothing of this to the tribe, and they hadn't asked her why she was even more cold than she usually was. They let her go on about her days as usual. The huntress didn't stick around long though and quickly returned back to the Arc household.

She wished to see Jaune. Qrow had told her that he'd returned the boy home following the news of their form team leader's death, and Lucas had confirmed their son's return. She felt a slight loosening of her shoulders.

Though she hadn't given a great deal of thought to Summer's death, Raven was thinking a lot about Jaune lately. He was a child in body, but in mind, he was transforming into an adult, able to communicate in ways no child his age could. Yang Xiao Long couldn't possibly compare to Jaune Arc in terms of mental maturity. Curiosity always kept Jaune motivated. He wished to understand, seek clarification, the signs of a patient mind, something Raven herself had difficulty doing even now.

Yet he still clung onto the weakness of the classical heroes, just like his father Lucas. More than once, he'd called her out on her actions, saying that some could be redeemed. And why not? Like father, like son.

Howbeit, she could also say like mother, like son. There were times when he could recognize when a situation was beyond salvageable and abandoned said situation. That was at redeeming quality in her eyes.

Thinking about her son made Raven ask herself a question: how much did she value Jaune?

When she first approached the house, she took a moment to gaze at it. It was certainly spacious, though not lavish. Lucas and Daisy had joked about having a big family, though in Raven's mind, that joke was becoming a reality. They already had three daughters, and if the relationship between the two hunters was anything to go by, it wouldn't stop anytime soon. They certainly were extremely close.

Raven was about to knock on the door when she heard something distant. It was the sound of wood against wood, and from the tempo of said sound, it was a mock duel. Following the sound to the back yard, she found her one-time lover and her son sparring with two wooden swords.

She stood with her arms folded as she watched the two fighters duke it out.

Jaune's movements showed hints of both her own style and Lucas's style, though only hints. All of his movements, sword moves and executions were borrowed, but even an untrained eye could see that the basis was not that of his mother or father.

When asked why Jaune didn't use their styles purely, he simply said that he wanted to make his own path.

The results were mixed. Jaune showed progress, but it was much harder for him to learn, though the child showed no hint of wanting to give up this method of training. If anything, challenges were the only thing Jaune accepted as training. If it didn't challenge him, it wasn't good enough.

That was good. He was motivated.

Strangely enough, even with her son being unable to compete with his father gave her a sense of contentment. In spite of the fight being one-sided, it was entertaining to watch. Now that she thought of it, when it came to her son, she always payed attention.

"It looks like we've got company." Lucas casually disarmed his son. "Look who's here."

Jaune turned around. "Mother."

As she expected, he ran up to give her a hug.

It would usually be normal for Raven to not respond at all. She cared about Jaune, but she wasn't ever going to coddle him. He wasn't a baby anymore and he could do things himself now.

Then the huntress's mind gave her a reason to respond back. He was her son, and he only naturally was attached to her. This was merely a sign of connection, so what was the harm?

Having made up her mind, she lightly hugged him back.

"Hello, Jaune." She kneeled down to meet his eyes.

"Mother, you are troubled?" Her son asked a question, but she could swear he sounded like he knew. "Uncle Qrow took me home, said something happened, and mentioned you."

"Yes, Jaune." Raven had no reason to hide or lie to the blond boy. "One of my friends, a fellow huntress died."

"A close friend?"

"...very close."

Jaune didn't move to apologize, because even he knew that a sorry wasn't going to do much for this situation, nothing at all in reality, and Raven did appreciate his understanding of the concept of empty apologies.

"Jaune." The sound of Lucas's voice entered into the picture. "Can I have a moment with your mother?"

Raven saw their son raise an eyebrow in question, and the man responded with something of a light pleading look. Seeing this made Jaune obey immediately and he took off back into the house. Both her and Lucas watched until they were sure he was out of earshot.

"Summer died." Lucas said out of the blue.

"How… do you know that?" Even Raven had to contain some surprise. "I doubt Qrow or Taiyang told you."

"Because you have something she once had."

He had to know. The way he was talking indicated that he was not just talking out of thin air.

"Then you know." Raven leaned against a nearby tree.

"About the Summer Maiden's power? Yes." The huntsman tossed some of his blond hair aside. "I should know about it. It was my duty to shadow the Summer Maiden."

"Maidens?" She narrowed her eyes at him. "As in the Seasonal Maidens? That legend?"

"Yes, Raven. That story is most definitely true."

"...and you accept it as truth?"

"I've seen enough to make me believe. Besides, as I've said, I'm the shadow for the Summer Maiden."

"Then why weren't you there, Lucas? If it was your job to protect our friend, why didn't you?"

"Because you were there, weren't you."

"And how did you know that?"

"What does it matter how I knew that? Summer had you."

"And this power, how did even know it exists."

He removed the glove on his left hand to show her the very same symbol that Jaune had on his own hand. She regarded it neutrally, and then she recalled a history lesson from Beacon Academy, a piece of history that was a bloody one.

"So you're telling me that your mark has power."

"From the moment I received it."

"So that's how you can sense the power within me."

"The magic is strong. Very strong, and you haven't the control over it."

"... you never answered my question." Raven narrowed her eyes. "Why weren't you there?"

The man knew he had said some words that she wasn't fond of, words that related to weakness, and the huntress's philosophy in life was very much known among friends and family alike. It was a diversion, she knew, but she didn't give a damn right now.

"Nothing has changed." Lucas replaced his glove, completely ignoring her question. "Save for the host of the power."

"So I need a babysitter now?" Raven turned her back. "Am I that untrustworthy?"

"In the wrong hands, the Maiden's power will destroy mankind. Right hands or not, like it or not, I am your new guardian."

"You know, Daisy won't appreciate this, you tailing me. She will think something's going on."

"I don't need to see or hear you to know where you are."

"That doesn't sound at all suspicious."

"I have a job to do. You should know that nothing gets between me and my duties."

"Yes, I know that very much."

Both of them were more than capable of producing stares that could elicit emotional responses. Lucas had perfected the art of stalwart-staring while Raven had fine-tuned the art of scare-staring.

They continued to stare, and they would have remained as they were were it not for the door of the house opening and closing that made them turn their heads to see that little Jaune had returned.

"What is it Jaune?" The tension was lost instantly as Lucas put on a smile for the boy.

"Uncle Qrow wanted me to give mother this." Jaune held his hands up to reveal a paper bag. "He said not to open it, so I didn't."

With a visible frown, Raven took the bag gently from her son and opened it to see what was inside. When she did, she seemed to soften up slightly. She closed the bag.

"Thank you Jaune." She reluctantly patted Jaune on the head. "I will hold onto this."

"You're going already?" Jaune held on tight to her arm. "But you just got here."

"I will see you soon, little man."

Lucas watched as Raven met Jaune at eye level and the two of them began speaking in hushed words. By no means were the mother and son close in the traditional sense. Their bond was the product of something much different, something much more dangerous, and recent events being what they were would only made their bond even more dangerous and intimate. Perilous times, these were now.

"Keep you wits about you, huntsman. True tests never end."

He nodded vigorously.

As soon as she was here, she was gone.

"Mother is angry."

"Yes, she is."

 **(X)(X)(X)(X)**

Qrow had been staring at the same thing for over ten minutes now.

Taiyang wasn't responding to anything. At all.

Qrow had been visiting Taiyang everyday since Summer's reported death to try and get him to do something, anything. That, and to take care of Ruby and Yang as best he could.

More than anything, the scythe-wielder wanted to smack Taiyang good. The man knew the risks of being a hunter, and yet it would seem that he hadn't come to terms with what those risks meant. Qrow had thought for sure by now that all of them had somehow accepted it and wouldn't completely break down.

But then again, he didn't think that Team STRQ would ever suffer a team death. They were the best and coolest team to ever graduate Beacon (though Team LOUS would disagree). The loss of one of their members, and their team leader at that, was a heavy blow, but at least Qrow had found his own way to cope. He made peace with Summer's death, then moved on knowing the world wasn't going to stop for any of them. Raven played it off as another waste of life, a facade to be sure, but there it was.

Taiyang? The man was no stranger to hardships, but this one had to take the cake. Qrow didn't envy the man.

But it didn't excuse what he was doing now.

Now just like everyday for a week, Qrow visited Tai. He kept an eye on him, looked after Ruby and Yang, and tried to do something, anything to get the depressed man out of his shell. He had to be there somewhere.

"It's been a week, Tai." Qrow growled his frustration. "You can't mope there forever. Life won't go on."

Silence.

"And I know you can hear me." The scythe-wielder crossed his arms. "You can't ignore me forever."

Qrow was pushing himself just to talk to Tai. He wasn't a patient man, at least not compared to other huntsmen and huntresses, not by a long shot. What he feared most was that he would give up and leave things worse off than they were now.

Taiyang glanced at him, and this caught Qrow's attention. For once, he'd actually did something other than stare into space.

"I'm sorry that I don't meet your expectations, Qrow, but it's not something that I can just wish away."

"So you're going to let despair eat away at you?"

"..."

"That's not an answer."

"I didn't ask for you to babysit me, Qrow."

"And I didn't ask for a cry-baby teammate, Tai."

Little did the two realize it themselves but they were raising their voices, and they would've continued on with raised voices if not for the fact that the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs told them that Yang and Ruby were coming down. The moment they did, the mood shifted from tense into awkward. Taiyang returned to a sullen mood while Qrow looked at the stairs with a stare.

It was a shame to see his two nieces be put something like this; even if Ruby didn't even really understand what was going on, she could still be sad that her mother was around. What was more worry was how Yang would take it.

Qrow could only speculate just what Lucas and Raven were exposing little Jaune to; he wasn't fooled by Lucas's noble facade. The man was responsible for more than his fair share of killing, justifiable certainly, but still killing was never something to take pride in, not even by an incremental amount. Raven had killed too, and at this point, didn't care what people thought. Really, the two of them were more alike than what was on the surface.

"Uncle Qrow?" Ruby came from behind Yang. "What's going on?"

"Nothing." Qrow waved a hand. "Just adults being adults, little rose."

"It doesn't sound like fun." Yang spoke timidly.

"Right now, it's not, but you'll understand when you're older." Qrow got up. "But I bet you guys wanna have fun right now. Am I right?"

"Yeah." Yang and Ruby nodded.

"Then let's go outside." Qrow opened the door. "You two comin' or what?"

With some cheering, the two of them clumsily took off outside. He would have to keep an eye on the two of them. They seemed okay for now, but who knows if they were hiding pain within.

He spared a final glance at Qrow, who still hadn't really responded. It was just pathetic how he barely did anything.

"I'm gonna watch over the kids." Qrow turned his head away. "Not that you're any good at doing that."

He closed the door, but didn't slam it. He was mad, but he wasn't beyond reason. Monty Oum curse that day should it come.

Both Ruby and Yang had already resorted to being little kids, rolling around on the grass and laughing. That was nice to see.

"So, whaddya two want to do today?" Qrow looked down to the eager girls.

"We wanna be huntresses!" They both shouted. "We wanna train!"

The very thought of training them both to be huntresses made his mind pause. It wasn't his right to train them, but with Tai indisposed, the two of them would surely benefit from training, or at least knowing how to properly defend themselves at the very least. Besides, they wanted to become huntresses, and they'd be getting the best training possible from him, so what was the harm?

Okay, he knew the answer to that question, but it was still a good idea.

"Okay, you two." He took a step back. "But pay attention. I don't like repeating myself."

"Okay!" Ruby jumped up.

"But I wanna be a huntress now!" Yang whined. "I wanna fight Grimm, just like mama!"

Qrow wondered which mother Yang was referring to. The elder sister was fully aware about the difference between Summer and Raven, and it worried him how much the little girl wanted to know about her biological mother. More than once, he had shied away from the subject, avoided it, and sidestepped it.

He didn't want to hurt any feelings, so he went with a generic answer.

"We'll see, firecracker. We'll see."

 **(X)(X)(X)(X)**

Daisy wiped her brow, taking off the layer of sweat that had accumulated. The day wasn't hot, but if she worked enough, it wouldn't matter the weather outside.

She had went outside to do some chores that had been sitting around for almost two weeks now.

Lucas had left for Beacon Academy unexpectedly. When they were saying their farewells to each other, it was clear to the woman that her husband wasn't thrilled with the idea.

Daisy hadn't thought about Ozpin for a while. That man was a trusted friend, yet she couldn't claim to know all of his secrets or everything about him. There were just things about him that were kept secret from everyone. The huntress was certain that there were things that even Glynda Goodwitch didn't know about Ozpin.

Even more concerning was that Lucas's behavior as of late had changed. Ever since hearing of Summer's death, he seemed… cold.

The sound of footsteps made her turn her head to see her step-son walking towards her. Whatever thoughts she was having were laid aside.

"Flower." Jaune said in greeting.

When Jaune was a baby, Jaune was the most adorable thing ever. Knowing the circumstances of his conception, she had taken to him like her own son in blood. He learned to call her mom, but Daisy knew that Raven carried that same title with a different interpretation. When he'd been told about his circumstances, he had been confused, so he decided to call Daisy by the nickname "Flower."

She liked it just fine.

"Hi, little man." She smiled. "I thought you were taking a nap."

"I'm okay." His eyes showed no signs of sleepiness. "See?"

"Yes, I can see." She thread a hand through his hair. "You want to train?"

"Not right now." Jaune replied. "I want to help you."

"Well, I was going to finish gathering firewood." Daisy motioned towards the woods. "You can help carry some logs back."

"Okay." Without her guidance, he took off.

So eager to help others, and without much consideration for something in return. If he remained as he was, he would be a well-liked person.

Following his trail, Daisy slowly walked, her footsteps soft and quiet. The wilderness gave her and her family a reprieve from all of the rushing around as hunters. It also didn't hurt the fact that Grimm sightings here were extremely rare, almost non-existent. The children could play outside in safety. Still, she always had at least one of her gauntlets at the ready should she need it.

For a child, Jaune's trail was somewhat difficult to follow. Already, Raven was teaching him the techniques of a ghost. If not for a few clues he'd neglected to cover up, she might be even more stumped. A bit of aura here, a slight footprint there. These were enough for Daisy to know where he was going in general.

She reached the clearing where they gathered firewood. Already a few logs had been chopped down courtesy of previous work done by herself. It had been at least a week since she'd gotten around to doing this.

"Jaune, where are you?" She couldn't see him. "Jaune?"

He was nowhere to be seen or heard. No, she wasn't concerned for his safety. He was more than capable of taking care of himself.

"Jaune?" Her purpose here forgotten, she took off into the woods. "Jaune?"

A slight shuffling of leaves caused Daisy to whirl around for the source. It was a squirrel, which scampered off and climbed up a tree.

She turned her head and a ray of sunlight struck her eyes, and she shielded them immediately. Where could he be?

Daisy let out a massive groan, leaning down and putting her hands to her knees. That boy could be quite the handful sometimes. He wasn't mischievous by any standard, but he could be quite adventurous for the most part.

The sound of a grunt then caught her attention. It sounded close. Following the sound, she began to slow her pace, her breath slowing back to normal. That had to be him. Not many people lived close to them, and those that did were still a bit of a walk away.

Unless someone decided to trek this way, it had to be Jaune.

She heard it, this time very close.

Like it was above her.

Something obscured her vision, and then was gone.

Daisy took a step back and looked up.

Jaune was hanging upside down doing situps.

Typical Jaune Arc, doing strenuous exercise routines. She wasn't sure who was to blame for these routines: Lucas, Raven, or Qrow. She sure didn't require him to do stuff like this. It was unnecessary in her opinion.

"Hi, Flower." Jaune groaned, then did another sit-up. "Just seventy five more."

"How many have you done?" Daisy asked. "We've only been out for a few minutes."

"Twenty five." He did another. "Twenty-six."

"You said you wanted to help me." She did a slight frown. "I expect you to honor what you agreed to do."

"I didn't agree to anything." Jaune continued. "Wanting to help and actually helping aren't the same thing."

"Touche." It was strange to hear Jaune speaking technicalities. "So are you going to help or not?"

After several more, Jaune stopped, simply hanging upside down, giggling at his step-mother.

"You look funny when you're upside down." He commented.

It was then that Daisy adopted a smirk on her mouth. With speed too fast for the boy to anticipate and react to, she reached out with both arms to tickle him. He tried to hold still, but ultimately lost his grip, laughing explosively.

As she expected, he began to fall, and she caught him gracefully.

"Now that I've saved you, you will help me." She grinned wider.

"No." His mock-pout was cute.

Not letting up her grin, Daisy began to tickle him again, bringing him to the ground. He tried to push her away, but could only feel his entire body giving way to laughter.

"Stop!" He gulped. "It's… not… funny!"

"Promise me?" She lightened her tickling.

"Okay!" He sputtered. "I… promise… to help!"

Satisfied that he'd given in, she pulled herself up and sat with her legs crossed. Jaune quickly rose to his feet, brushing himself off and wiped some tears from his eyes. She watched him.

 _He's growing up so fast._

"Flower?" He seemed to pick up on her looking at him. "Are you okay?"

"I'm okay, Jaune." She nodded her head.

That didn't seem to placate him, so he moved in and hugged her. She didn't stop a moment and embraced him just as tightly.

"I love you so much." Daisy muttered into his ear. "Never forget that."

"I love you too." Jaune whispered back to her. "And I won't forget."

 **(X)(X)(X)(X)**

Ozpin wasn't expecting Lucas Arc to arrive so early. Usually, it would take at least several days by dust plane to reach considering he lived in the country of Mistral. Still, the man could cut corners when he wanted to.

The headmaster certainly didn't expect any niceties from the knight. He certainly didn't seem in the mood for it if the scroll call said anything.

Raven had been more or less embracing her role as the new Summer Maiden, though what she used her newfound power was a bit more complicated. The woman was very much opinionated, sticking to a mentality that could be considered barbaric and archaic for the people within the kingdoms, but that was what allowed her and her clan to survive, so was it truly wrong?

As Lucas had been the shadow for Summer Rose, he was now the shadow for Raven Branwen. He didn't complain about the role nor did he question it, so why he seemed so unnerved by this change of events wasn't known to Ozpin.

He would soon find out, though.

Right now.

The door opened.

Lucas entered the room along with Glynda. He looked controlled, yet somewhat furious at the same time.

"Ozpin." That was a curt tone.

"You didn't have to come this quickly." Ozpin stood up. "I could've waited another week or so."

"I'd rather get this over with now." Lucas touched his hand to his forehead. "I have… concerns about Raven."

"What about her?" Ozpin walked to the window. "She's been called many things, done a great deal, but she's certainly won't use the maiden powers against us."

"That questionable statement aside, it's not whose side she's on." Lucas looked at the back of Ozpin's head. "It's something else."

"I'm sensing that this is a personal matter." Ozpin turned back to give his full attention. "What is it?"

All he did was hold up his hand that held the mark of the cross.

"I fail to see the issue." Glynda stood by the desk, arms behind her back. "I'm sure Raven's familiar with the power."

"I'm not talking about me." Lucas lowered his hand. "It's my son. I've passed on the mark to him as well."

"Your son?" Ozpin reiterated. "Jaune Arc?"

"Yes."

"And how are Jaune and Raven related?"

"Raven… is Jaune's biological mother."

The gears of the tower continued to work, though it felt as if they had gotten louder and slower. Two sets of eyes regarded the man, one pair with slightly widened eyes and the other with a hard stare.

"Now I see the problem." Ozpin grabbed his cup.

"Do you, Ozpin?" Lucas narrowed his eyes. "You don't know my powers like I do. All you see is the analytical standpoint. I see that, and more."

"Lucas, I understand your frustrations, but I assure you that I know fully well the implications here." Ozpin rounded his desk. "And if I know you and Raven well enough, then young Jaune is already on his way to becoming a huntsman."

The huntsman turned his back to his former teacher, bowing his head.

"I'm sorry." Lucas said. "It's just that… Summer's death. I feel responsible. I was meant to protect her."

"How could you know?" Ozpin knew what to do. "Like it or not, all people will die, and like it or not, the powers of the maidens will fall into the hands of those who would use it for their own purposes."

"Which brings me to another point." Lucas ruffled his hair. "If Summer was thinking of Raven in her final thoughts, then did Raven kill Summer?"

"A person doesn't have to kill the maiden to inherit their powers, Lucas." Ozpin reminded him. "They have to only be in the thoughts of the dying maiden."

"That or the power goes to someone random. Summer and Raven were some of the closest of friends. I don't believe this to be mere coincidence."

"Don't you think you're taking this too personally?" Glynda stepped up. "You're one of the best working huntsman in the world, Lucas. We've never doubted you before and even after this, we still don't doubt you."

"A friend died when I could have done something." Lucas snorted. "How do you think I feel?"

"I thought we made it clear that emotions couldn't get in the way of your duty." If there ever was a time to be harsh, it was now. "There are more important things at stake here than your own personal issues."  
"You act like I can't deal with the hardship of losing friends." Lucas's neutral tone was a front for his less than amused mood. "Do you forget what happened?"

"I have not forgotten." Ozpin said, indeed recalling that very hard memory. "But I do believe that even a man like yourself will crack when one too many close to your heart dies due to either you direct or indirect actions."

"It might just come to that." Lucas didn't have the heart to deny it. "And this was in no way what I wanted from Jaune."

"Yet you gave him the mark. Why?"

"... if he desires to be a huntsman, then he will need all the protection that he can gain."

Ozpin and Glynda looked at each other from the corner of their eyes. Lucas wasn't lying when he said those words, but he wasn't telling the truth either. That was only a part of his reasons, part of the truth that he fully well knew in his heart yet couldn't say out loud.

"Is this all that you wanted to talk to me about?" Ozpin decided to break the ice. "Because telling me all this in person wasn't necessary."

"No, I bring word from some of our brothers and sisters in Vacuo." Lucas made some effort to control himself again. "They're currently engaged in a lightning war with the Grimm. Normally, I wouldn't worry, but this attack seems too large to be labelled as just another Grimm gathering."

"I've heard." Ozpin mulled this over for several seconds. "I might be able to spare some of the third-year and forth-year students to help, but why not go to Shade Academy for help?"

"Shade Academy has already devoted all of their available resources and people to fighting." Lucas immediately answered. "That's why they requested us for help."

Beacon Academy was the closest to Shade Academy, but it was still a considerable distance away. The deserts proved to be harsh travelling grounds by land, and travelling on the fastest dust planes would take some days.

"And when did you get this news, Lucas?"

"A week prior." Lucas activated his scroll. "I got the call from Silver, and he sends his regards to both of you."

Glynda rolled her eyes, while Ozpin seemed curious.

"And how is he?" The old man asked.

"Knowing my teammate and brother in arms, he's fine." Lucas pulled up the map on his scroll. "Grimm concentrations are near Shade. All the students and staff are on high alert."

"And why wasn't I informed of this by school itself?"

"Communications have been scrambled. The equipment at Shade has been tampered with."

That was concerning. Nobody tampered with the towers, fully knowing that any sort of problems with the tower could result in the collapse of the entire network. Tampering with the schools was just as dangerous if not more so due to the numerous huntsmen and huntresses surrounding the schools. Just who had the courage or stupidity to perform such an act?

"A communications scramble just at Shade Academy does raise some questions.." Ozpin asserted. "But in any case, I will see to it immediately."

"That would be most appreciated."

If anything, Ozpin's students would appreciate some real-life experience.

Kids were eager to impress.

* * *

 **This is my first chapter update of 2017. This story, I know, has been getting some popularity, much more than I expected it to get, so this chapter is for your patience.**

 **Next chapter, I'm going to be establishing one final important plot point before I fast-forward a few years in the timeline. The story, by this point, has deviated heavily from the original material, so expect the unexpected. Really.**

 **So what do you guys think? Good? Bad? Meh? Same old, same old? Feedback is always appreciated.**

 **I hope you guys enjoyed reading, and remember:**

 _ **"Lost time is never found again."**_

 **Benjamin Franklin**

 **Happy New Years!**


	6. Chapter 6: Miles of Blood

Chapter 6: Miles of Blood

 **Arc Household…**

Daisy had finished her work for the day and had begun to settle in for the night. All of the children were already asleep. She would've already been asleep too if not for the fact that there wasn't a word from Lucas.

Travel to Vale took days at least and Lucas had cut corners and done so in a single day. Whenever he cut corners like that, there was something big going on, and whenever something big was going on, she wanted to know about it.

He was honest about said big things.

...

Daisy tipped the glass of water and took a drink, letting the refreshing liquid sink into her stomach. It helped sooth her nerves to a degree, but what would really make her feel better would be a call from Lucas.

As if on cue, the sound of her scroll ringing made her grab it quickly, and seeing that it was her husband, she quickly answered it.

"Hey, knight." She answered casually. "So what happened?"

"A lot apparently." He sounded tired. "I'm going to be delayed. I've got to travel to Vacuo."

"What?" She stood rigidly. "Why?"

"Calm, down, Daisy." His voice remained calm, but he tried to sound assuring now. "It's alright. I'm needed to help clear some Grimm from Shade Academy grounds."

"Is that the call you received last week?" The huntress leaned against the kitchen counter. "I thought you were going to let Silver deal with it."

"That was when it was a skirmish." Lucas shuffled a bit in the background. "Now it's a full-on war."

"I wish I could be there to help you." Daisy closed her eyes and bowed her head. "I want to get back out there and fight with you."

"Then we ought to get a babysitter and you can take a few missions." Lucas suggested. "Maybe Valentina?"

"Maybe." The matriarch of the house stood up and looked out the window. "I just hope she'll be alright with a junior huntsman, two twins, and one baby."

"You know how she dotes on the children." Lucas dismissed her hesitance. "If anything, she'll be glad for the excitement. She's never complained before."

"That doesn't mean she likes it always." Daisy asserted. "Look, I can talk to her, but don't expect miracles from her."

"Alright, alright. It's up to you anyways."

While they were on the subject of babysitters, something came to her mind, something that she hadn't thought of before. Before she thought about what she said, she let it out.

"What about Raven?"

"Her babysitting?" There was no denying the unamused tone. "Do you realize how not possible that scenario is?"

She said nothing, and he said nothing. The way he sounded told her that her thinking of Raven was not the best thing to say. It was probably the wrong words at the wrong time, and she quickly tried to find something else to cover that.

"So how long do you think you'll be?"

"I'm thinking a week at best, two at worst."

"Damn. That long?"

"It's bad," was all he could say.

Daisy didn't like this one bit. "I'll just take your word for it."

"So are the kids asleep," Lucas asked. "They should be by this time."

"Don't you worry," Daisy replied. "They're asleep like rocks."

"Do they miss me," he asked hopefully.

"Are you kidding," She chuckled. "They want you back right now."

"Well, the feeling is mutual. I promise I'll get back to them as soon as possible."

"I'm keeping track of that one too."

"Man, you always have a way of ruining my promises." Lucas's hurt tone was hardly legitimate. "And I put a lot of work into them."

Daisy smirked. "You said it yourself: an Arc never goes back on his word."

"Yeah, I guess so. Anyways, I'm going to find some food, then turn in for the night."

"You got a place already?"

"Yeah, I'm just crashing at a hotel for the night."

"Alright, sir knight. Love you."

"Love you too, petals."

Daisy ended the call and put her scroll in her pocket. Now that she knew that her significant other was taking care of himself, she could get some rest now.

Finishing her drink, she washed the glass and put it on the dish rack to dry. Then she headed for her room.

She first passed the twins' room. She paused to listen; it was often the case that the twins wouldn't always be asleep when she tucked them into bed, but to her relief, there was no sound coming from within.

Next was Cyan's room, and that little baby was asleep for sure and Daisy was certain that another Great War wouldn't wake her up, even if it was in their backyard. That was three out of four.

Finally, Jaune's room, and at first, she paused only long enough to feel his aura presence, and it was there, calm and serene, so she almost went to her room, but then she sensed something else.

There was another presence in the room, one that she had a familiarity with.

Keeping herself composed, she slowly opened the door.

Jaune was lying asleep in his bed, but what was really out of whack was that Raven was in the room, gazing down at the boy. She sat on the edge of his bed, her posture straight and elegant, one hand threading in the hair of their shared son. Her weapon was leaning against the wall, but still within the Branwen's reach.

"Daisy." Raven didn't take her eyes off of Jaune. "Hello."

"Raven." Summer stepped into the room. "Why are you here?"

The red-eyed huntress turned. "A girl can't see her son?"

"She can." Green eyes flickered to Jaune. "But this is so unlike you to dote on Jaune. So what's the deal?"

The sword-wielder said nothing, instead returning her attention back to Jaune.

His breathing was slow and silent. He did not rustle the sheets, only laying quietly in his bed.

"Unless you're not Raven Branwen," Daisy whispered. "I mean, Raven Branwen doesn't do this sort of mushy stuff."

"Don't insult me." Though her voice was hushed, Raven's harsh tone was there. "You know that it's me."

The only light coming into the room was from the hallway, but other than that, both were only looking at each other's shadowy form, barely visible.

"Did you know that Jaune got the mark of the Templar?" That came back to Daisy's mind. Raven had to know something.

A lull followed, to which both women sized up each other, seeing if they could glance any sort of reaction.

"That's not-" Raven began with a frustrated tone.

"Rhetorical question." Daisy interrupted. "You were there for Jaune's initiation, so you do know. I'm not stupid, I know that's what's on his hand. The question is, what is an ancient mark like that doing with my son?"

"You don't trust Lucas to raise his son," Raven chuckled, amused. "Do you think Jaune is merely another boy?"

"I…" Their voices were being raised, and Daisy grit her teeth. "We're not arguing about this here."

Luck favored them as Jaune still slept in spite of their raised voices, but careful so as not to try that luck, both of them slipped out of the room. Closing the door behind her, Daisy led Raven.

Once they were within the room, the matriarch of the house shut the door, but kept her hand on the doorknob and didn't turn to face her friend.

Daisy sighed. "What is going on?"

A moment of silence.

"I will need some clarification." The red-eyed woman responded.

Raven was really feeling the need to drag this out. Daisy bowed her head, collected herself, then returned back to the conversation.

"What is going on?" Daisy repeated again. "Jaune has a Templar mark. Summer's dead. Lucas is acting strange. I don't believe any of this to be coincidence."

"The first thing you listed does not coincide with the next two." Raven tapped the hilt of her sword. "The second and third though, those two are connected."

"And why's that?"

"Lucas." Raven's voice carried many emotions saying his name."He feels responsible for Summer's death."

"Why?" Daisy had no idea that their friends' death had such an effect on the man.

"Ever hear that curiosity kills the cat, Daisy? If you haven't, you have now, so stop asking questions, because once you know something like this, it'll make this far more complicated than it has to be."

"Oh, no, we are not going there. I want a straight answer, Raven. What is going on?"

"I've said what I've wanted to say. We've got nothing more to talk about."

Daisy tried another tactic. "I don't know what's going on between you and Lucas, but you should stay away from him."

Raven wasn't shaken by those words. "And why would I do that?"

"Because we've got enough drama right now." Daisy couldn't maintain her composure for long. "You'd only add more."

Raven's face shifted from a hard stare into a smirk, not at all apologetic. She was like a devil in human form. The way she conducted herself wasn't helping to ease the tension in the room.

"Is that the reason you want me gone? Or are you jealous?" Raven jabbed, unsheathing her sword, then willed a portal into existence.

If it wasn't for the fact that they were friends, Daisy might've not been able to hold back. Nevertheless, she had a deep scowl on her face as Raven took her leave.

"Mother fff... ARGH!" The mother of four was speaking to no one in particular. "Calm down, Daisy. Don't fall for it."

The broken moon tonight seemed to shine brightly.

It took some time to reel in the anger. It had been a while since she had been this... anger-driven.

Changing into sleepwear, Daisy sat on the edge of the bed, thumbing the sheets, but still not yet ready for sleep.

So many people to worry about.

 **(X)(X)(X)(X)**

 **Three days later…**

Qrow had left the Xiao Long household and set out on another mission, summoned by Ozpin himself.

Because of Taiyang's continued indifference towards almost everything, he had to give the girls a few words of inspiration to keep them from being too down. He hoped that Tai would come around. The man had way too much to worry about to quit at life now, and Qrow was really reluctant at the notion of being a parent figure.

There was word of a Grimm army amassing near Shade Academy. The fact that Grimm were near the school wasn't anything particularly alarming. No, what was really scary was how many were concentrated. Even the least intelligent ones that knew better than to get too close to a place where warriors roamed, were there in droves, ready to kill them. If they were willing to get this close to the school without any regard for personal safety…

Qrow had taken the first dust jet to Vacuo. From there, he had taken flight and began the long journey through the desert. A journey of four long days had finally brought him to Shade Academy.

The hunter patrols spotted him and allowed him entrance.

"Well, look what the crow dragged in." A familiar voice said to him.

"Luke." Qrow called Lucas by his nickname. "Didn't expect to see you here. Sounds like you were expecting me."

"Ozpin told me you'd be coming." Lucas smiled. "And if I know you well, you heeded the call of the old man."

The two of them went into a bro shake, sizing each other up like they always did when they met. They had been some rivalry between them at Beacon Academy, and traces of their rivalry still existed.

"You look like hammered shit." The knight jabbed in a light manner. "You drink too much, or did you run out of stuff to drown on?"

"Looks don't count for shit in the desert," Qrow snarked in reply. "This is Vacuo, knight in rusting armor."

They dared each other to back down.

Neither of them did.

"Good to see you." Lucas answered.

"Yeah, you too." Qrow replied back.

One thing that was stronger than their rivalry was their friendship.

Separating from each other, they began to take a walk, the junior huntsmen and huntresses saluting the two of them as they went along.

"I've got a bearing on the situation so far." Lucas gestured in the distance. "We've got some engineers working on the communications problem."

"How bad's the damage?" Qrow demanded.

"Moderate." Lucas shielded his eyes from sand. "Whoever did this was quick, precise, knew what they were doing."

"A saboteur." Qrow deduced. "Figures."

"That's the only conclusion that makes sense," Lucas agreed immediately, "But access to the tower is limited, and the past few months have shown no unusual activity."

"So it had to be an inside job." Qrow put more pieces together. "Someone trusted is a traitor."

"We can figure out the traitor later." Lucas pointed to the horizon. "If our intelligence is right, then the Grimm will charge the academy during knightfall."

"How many do we number?"

"About two hundred and fifty, give or take."

"And Grimm numbers?" Qrow was ready for the worst.

"At least 2,500." Lucas wasn't phased by that number. "Though that's a rough estimate at best."

"All Grimm types?" Qrow asked next.

"All Grimm types." Lucas affirmed.

"Well, this is just great." Qrow wished he had more alcohol. "And here I am without a good stock. You wouldn't happen to have anything on you?"

"If I did, I would have already given it to you." Lucas offered. "I don't drink booze, or did you forget that?"

"Just asking." Qrow reasoned. "Luck turns up in the most unusual places."

"This coming from a man like you?" Lucas snorted.

Qrow gave a dirty look, to which Lucas responded with a look of indifference, though whether from true apathy or mere horseplay was anyone's guess.

"Those engineers working on the tower," Lucas continued, his eyes set on the horizon. "Ironwood sent them, and we've got a team… supervising them while they work."

"You can cut the shit." Qrow jeered. "You don't have to defend Jimmy's actions. He's being uptight as ever."

"I prefer to not make unnecessary animosity where it's not needed." Lucas countered calmly. "Though I can't speak for everyone."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Typical boy scout, gotta get along with everyone." Qrow didn't sneer. "If you weren't so good at your job, I'd bring you down a peg."

"I only wish that Jaune wasn't so eager to throw his life away like I'm doing." Lucas's eyes dropped. "I don't know what it'll take to convince the boy that he can make the world better in different ways."

"Jaune's a strong kid." Qrow shook his head. "Like it or not, he was born to be a warrior. Being a huntsman is simply the best way to use his talents to help the world."

"Maybe." Lucas agreed reluctantly. "I suppose I should be glad that he's not completely like Raven."

"He's got too much of you to be like my sister."

"Yeah…"

"So, how's guard duty with her working?" Qrow's question was awkward to Lucas, and both of them knew it.

"... it's fine." Lucas didn't want to talk about it. "She's fine, I suppose."

"What does that mean?" Qrow's tone switched to a lewd one.

"Gods above," Lucas bowed his head in frustration. "I do not look at your sister like that anymore. I'm a married man."

"Hey, you're just like Tai as far as I'm concerned." Qrow continued to amuse himself. "You both have a kid with my sister, then move onto the nice girls."

"Call it misplaced rebellion." Lucas tried to avoid the subject. "And poor judgement."

"You sure you don't remember that night?" Qrow pushed some more. "I mean, we are talking about Raven here, and you know how… selective she can be."

"Will you stop, Qrow?" Lucas felt the need to cut the rope where it was. "I am not talking about the one-night stand I had with Raven."

"But you remember it well." Qrow commented in a more casual tone. "Don't you?"

"…" Lucas looked away.

"I knew it." Qrow laughed, slapping his fellow huntsman on the back. "Now what would Daisy think?"

"Are we going to talk about the Grimm threat and how to stop it?" Lucas tried another diversionary tactic. "Or was my private life the topic that interested you more?"

"Relax, Luke." Qrow separated himself from the blond man. "Geez, knights are bad enough, but templars suck the joy out of everything."

"And I'm one of the most liberal ones." Lucas said absent-mindedly. "Not to mention the only one alive."

"Gods, Jaune better not become an asshole in the future." Qrow muttered grumpily. "I can only handle so many uptight people."

"And what's Ozpin?"

"Indifferent."

A quick huff of breathing alerted the two warriors to a third presence. It was a student, a Faunus girl who looked all worn out from running. In addition, she was covered in a light coat of sand and dust, no doubt kicked up by her speed.

"Sorry to interrupt sirs." The girl lifted her head, still catching her breath. "I have something to report."

"Slow down, kid." Qrow frowned at this display. "Take a breath before you pass out. In fact, drink something. That's why you've got a canteen, right?"

"Sorry." The girl took the advice and grabbed her canteen. "I just wanted to get this out fast."

"Young warrior, we can wait a few moments." Lucas assured her. "Take a moment."

"Thank you." She said graciously.

She took two long gulps of water, coughed a bit from drinking too much too fast and getting some into her lungs. After that, she took a few more moments to collect her breath. The whole time, the two huntsmen waited.

"Okay." She stood up. "I'm supposed to tell you two that there's a meeting in half an hour for all huntsmen and huntresses."

"A meeting?" Qrow couldn't sound any less annoyed. "And I just got here."

"Hush you." Lucas scolded. "We will be there."

"Okay." She nodded. "I'll be on my way."

"What is your name?" Lucas called out.

"Iris Rivers." She responded timidly.

"A word of advice." Lucas noted the way she held herself. "Don't exhaust yourself before battle. Conserve energy. You'll need it."

"Um, thanks." The girl seemed to accept this. "I get that a lot."

"Then start listening." Qrow followed up. "If multiple people are telling you the same thing, it's gotta mean something."

She nodded once more before taking off, though leaving at a slower pace than when she initially came onto the scene.

"Kids." Qrow mumbled. "They always always want to prove themselves."

"And why not?" Lucas asked nonchalantly. "We are their role models. They want to emulate us just like we once did to our predecessors."

"They shouldn't." Qrow straightened up. "They're never going to be as good as we are."

"No, they won't." Lucas agreed. "They're going to be as good as they are."

A lesson not easily learned or not at all learned.

 **(X)(X)(X)(X)**

Jaune was bored right now.

If his sisters were awake, he would spend time with them, and if his step-mother were available, he would train or do something fun with her if his father couldn't be around.

None of these options were possible right now, and the only thing he was doing was sitting on his own bed, staring at the wall, being completely unproductive.

His father was away in Vacuo on a mission. When the blond boy had asked about it, all he was told by Daisy was that it involved a war with the Grimm. He wanted to be a part of it, fighting and doing something.

Daisy was currently talking with some old friends on her scroll, something that Jaune didn't wish to interrupt. She seemed quite into them, and quite frankly, it didn't sound like anything that he wanted to hear.

Amazingly, all three of his sisters were asleep. Cyan was asleep, as expected. She was the youngest, and still a baby, even if she was beginning to walk and say a few basic words.

Blanche and Daiyu were taking their naps, as per the norm. They liked their naps.

Jaune looked from his window to look outside to see two children older than himself talking while walking down the road. He lived in a small neighborhood, and as a result, people knew each other well, but even if he was somewhat acquainted with the people in the town, he was alienated from them.

None of them got up at an early hour for self-imposed physical training. None of them spent at least two hours training their aura and semblance. None of them spent an hour training with melee weapons. None of them spent an hour in hand-to-hand combat.

Almost nobody in the village aspired to become a warrior in any capacity, and that was their right as people, but because few shared the same sort of passions or desires, it set him apart from the majority.

He didn't really have anyone to call a true friend, discounting all the people he called family.

His father would say that he needed to get more friends because they were the people that one depended upon when there were things that required the many to be done, a good necessity.

His mother would say that friends were liabilities in the end if they didn't betray you first, and friends were bound to be one or the other or both. Being alone guaranteed no weaknesses would be exposed.

There were merits to both side, but he didn't fully accept both, and no matter his opinion on the subject of friends, it didn't help him get friends.

So he was back on square one.

 _Maybe I can just do stuff outside._ Jaune didn't have anything better to do. _It's better than being cooped up in here._

He got up from his place on his bed, went to his closet and changed into a pair of shorts and t-shirt with the symbol of Mistral on it. Not really taking too much time to look at himself, he opened the door and bounded down the stairs, down the stairs, and towards the door.

He stopped only momentarily to hear if Daisy was still talking in the living room.

She was.

"Can I go out?" Jaune asked. "I'm bored."

Even with her conversation going on, Daisy noticed him, and apparently heard his question, and after only a momentary hard look, she nodded her head to show that she trusted him.

Jaune smiled and left for the outside. He grabbed his boots, tied them on, and was out the door in a minute.

The air around him changed the moment he stepped outside. It felt cool.

While he did want to go outside, he didn't really want to talk with anyone. Any kid his age or even older would likely not be into the things he would, and even though he was respectable towards his elders, Jaune didn't really feel the desire to converse with them if he could help it.

He had to make his own fun in that case.

Jaune casually picked up one of the wooden swords on the ground and began to swing it. These things were great for practice, but he wanted to hold real live metal in his hands. He wanted to have that power in his hands.

He had seen both his mother and father fight with live blades numerous times. It looked to be so much more intense. A blade signified that one had the ability to potentially take a life, the ability to take control of a situation in a way that few people in the world could actually do.

To his father, to control a blade meant to wield not only power, but the responsibility to use it wisely. Power was not meant to be wielded for personal gain.

To his mother, to control a blade meant to have a trump card over most people, to be able to accomplish things that mere words couldn't do.

Again, conflicting ideologies, it was not something new to Jaune in his family dynamic, and once again, they left it to him to decide what worked. As he usually did, the boy supported neither fully.

Jaune swung the blade in a practiced set of combinations as he thought about his mother and father's ideologies. He always thought of them while practicing. They taught him how to hold a sword, the strengths and weaknesses behind it. They taught him basic swordsmanship, the things that all swordsman needed. Even if he insisted that his style was self-designed, he borrowed and incorporated styles from both of them.

Both of them had tried numerous times to get him to focus on their style, but he didn't want to specialize and master their styles. That was too easy, too predictable. They would be able to anticipate him at every turn.

No, he needed something unique and suited for him.

He swung hard, but kept his own aura from being used. As much as aura could save the life of a person, it was ultimately a tool, and only as reliable as one trained it to be, and everyone had limits.

His body and mind were what were more important. Otherwise, all the aura in the world wouldn't make a difference.

 _Aura is not just a representation of a person's strength in combat._ Lucas's words came to him. _It is a representation of a person's character, of who they are inside. Souls don't lie._

 _One does not have to have a specific moral character to possess a strong aura._ Raven had spoken of this. _They only have to have strong conviction, believe in what they believe._

Those two conditions.

Jaune knew he continued to develop even if he was in a strong place on both fronts.

He gave his weapon another swing, this time sideswipe glancing blows, nothing that would be fatal, but it wasn't meant to be.

As he held his position, he felt… something pull at him. It was… power, but not the power of aura. It had a unique signature

His head gave a turn. Nothing looked out of place. The forest, the house, the fields, all of it was there.

There it was again. That power, it couldn't be aura. It was too potent to be that, but was was it? Could others sense it?

His senses were dialed in to find this calling, whatever it was. It wasn't a good idea to be chasing something that might very well be dangerous. His mother would call him a fool for letting his curiosity dictate his senses.

But whatever this was… it may very well present him with something to… well, he wasn't sure what would happen.

Jaune found himself stopping at a crossroad, one that he was very familiar with. It was a sign pointing to various other villages. Granted, they were quite a ways off, and would require at least some travel time, at least days if by foot. This caught him by surprise; this post was quite a ways off from his own village. He had wandered father than he realized.

He stood nearby the post, his eyes searching his surroundings. There was nothing worth seeing, but he was still on a trail to find the mystery that seemed to want him to find it.

It was for the first time that Jaune wondered something: how was he able to sense this… presence?

He checked himself over mentally. Nothing felt different about him. He was still the same five-year-old boy.

He checked his entire body, first from his feet, then up his legs, using his hands to see if there was anything out of the ordinary.

Then he found a culprit: his hand that was marked with the cross he had received a short while ago.

It was glowing white, just like his own aura when it was in use.

This couldn't possibly be a coincidence, yet he had no evidence or facts to say if this truly was the source of his ability to sense this nebulous power.

The only way to know for sure was to do a test.

He held his hand up. It glowed when he pointed his hand southwest. Moving it any other direction dulled its color.

Now he knew where to go.

 **(X)(X)(X)(X)**

Yes, it was working just as she wanted it to.

The mark of the Knights Templar was already working for Jaune, and he was already using one of its most basic purposes. If he could learn his power at a fast rate like he was learning swordsmanship or aura, he would have a huge advantage over everyone who used aura in battle.

Raven kept her presence hidden in the form of her alternate form, her distance from her son enough so that he wouldn't be able to detect her, and to make sure he couldn't "see" her, she had used the power of the Summer Maiden to mask her signature.

At best, Jaune could only make out the magic, but he had no way of identifying the user nor what he was really sensing, and that's how she wanted things to be. She needed to keep her power secret from him for now.

Raven flew into an area of forest with a large boulder that doubled as a cliff for a hill. When she saw that she was alone, she began her true task.

She transformed back into her true Human form, and raised her sword up in the air before slashing it forward. Mentally, she began to call upon her semblance and picked a destination. She had a test in mind for him. Witnessing the mark was merely an additional objective. It was time to see Jaune's mettle in a fight or die scenario.

Hopefully, with the maiden's power, she would be able to pass off her portal as merely someone else's. Semblances weren't all unique; some were hereditary or had merely existed in the past. Jaune knew this, so with a bit of luck, he wouldn't promptly associate the portal with herself.

Sensing Jaune's presence some meters away, Raven quickly transformed back into her bird form and ascended into the trees to hide. Once she was situated high enough, she took the time to observe the work.

The portal crackled and sizzled with magical energy. It would collapse by itself after a short time. It was actually quite a gamble of her to see if she could enhance her own semblance using the maiden's power as a power booster.

Either Jaune would go somewhere else unexpected or she would succeed.

Raven anticipated no failure. She didn't fail.

Jaune appeared below her, and he regarded her portal, first with narrowed eyes. Whatever notion he had carried were done away with as he held his hand up to the power, seeing his mark glowing extremely bright.

He took another step forward, only wincing slightly as some energy lashed out and unwittingly burned him. He cried out, but only momentarily.

Then he put on his serious face again, precariously taking steps forward, reaching out to touch the energy.

Again, Raven was able to witness another use of the Templar mark. It was actually nullifying the magic of the portal. She would have marvelled at this more if not for her concern that Jaune would disintegrate the portal.

Her worries were assuaged when he finally decided to brave the literal fire in front of him and passed through.

She waited a moment or two before following.

 **(X)(X)(X)(X)**

Lucas felt something… familiar.

Never mind that, he felt two familiar things.

Two things that weren't far from him.

"What on Remnant…" Lucas's confusion turned into a look of ire. "Raven, what are you doing?"

"You say something?" Qrow leaned on a nearby wall.

"I can sense Raven." Lucas quickly responded. "She's nearby."

That got Qrow's attention. "Where?"

The Templar closed his eyes, focused for a moment, then opened his eyes.

"That way." Lucas pointed in the general direction. "And Jaune's with her."

"Why would she…" Qrow started to say something, then a bolt of lightning struck him. "No, please don't tell me she's actually going through with it."

"Going through with what?" Lucas felt his blood boiling. "What is Raven doing with Jaune?!"

"What I thought she was simply saying as a joke." Qrow fired back with his own discontented tone. "A test. It's succeed and live or fail and die."

"With Jaune as the test subject." Lucas needn't hear anymore. "Son of a Grimm."

Thinking quickly, Lucas pulled out his scroll. He needed to warn Daisy of this before she had a heart attack.

"LUCAS!" He was too late. "I can't find Jaune!"

"Raven's taken him to Vacuo." Lucas reluctantly replied. "She intends to see him battle against a horde of Grimm."

"ALONE!?" Daisy screamed. "What is she, deranged?!"

"I'm on my way now!" Lucas informed his wife. "Jaune won't survive long alone!"

"You'd better bring him back." Daisy's tone left no room for argument. "If he's not back, I won't forgive you."

The pressure was on now.

* * *

 **This chapter is the start of major conflict between the adults in Jaune's life. It's these events that are going to be the mold for Jaune's character when he sets off to become a fully-fledged huntsman.**

 **A note: all RWBY stories up for consideration are on a poll that you can see on my profile page. If it interests you, go check it out and vote for your favorite story idea. Story summaries are located at the bottom of my profile page. PM me to add ideas.**

 **I hope that you guys enjoyed this installment, and remember:**

 _ **"Ambition never comes to an end."**_

 **Kenneth Kaunda**

 **Farewell!**


	7. Chapter 7: Longview of the Grimm

Chapter 7: Longview of the Grimm

 **Somewhere in Vacuo…**

Jaune coughed up sand that he had inhaled courtesy of his unceremonius fall to the ground. It was the worst taste that he had ever experienced. The grains were rough, dry, and vile. It was like sandpaper against the mouth and tongue.

Although he hadn't travelled much beyond his home village and a few other neighboring villages and a few wild places within Mistral, Jaune liked to think he knew a lot more the average kid his age. He had actually seen a lot of Anima and he could thank his parents for that. Huntsmen and huntresses had a lot of work that demanded travel

Right now though, he wasn't liking the initial impression one bit.

He coughed again, and spit some of the sand out of his mouth. He wiped his tongue with his hand.

 _I don't like sand._ His mind cursed.

His personal disliking aside, he now had to find out where on Remnant he was. A moment ago, he was in a forest, one that he had explored vastly, so the only logical explanation was that he was somewhere else, as absolutely nothing gave him a clue as to where he was. He could still be in Mistral. Anima was a large continent and sported many different environments. Another possibility was that he was no longer on Anima at all.

So his situation looked bad. He had no way of telling where he was, he had no supplies to keep himself going, he had no weapons to defend himself with, nothing to protect himself from this scorching heat.

How long before he died, he wondered?

That question answered itself when he felt a dark chill tapping his spine.

"Oh no." Jaune muttered lightly. He knew that feeling that encroached upon his being. "Son of a Grimm."

Another lien to add to the swear jar.

Standing up, and cupping his eyes to protect them from the rays of sunlight, he could make out something in the distance, too far away to be seen clearly, but there was no doubting that it was black and filled much of the horizon.

A horde of Grimm? That seemed a bit unusual; Grimm weren't known to attack in such large hoards, not unless they were after a specific target.

But what target was that? It definitely wasn't him, as he had just appeared out of nowhere. Grimm didn't just attack like that, and though he was afraid, his fears weren't that intense.

Distant though they may be, the sounds of Grimm roaring all around couldn't be ignored, and judging by the loudness of their sound, it wouldn't be too long before they passed by him, and the wicked creatures weren't known to be careless when dealing with the living.

Fighting would be a lost cause within minutes. With no weapons, and being ill-prepared, he was going to have to do the one thing that seemed suicidal, but was going to give him a better chance of survival: run straight for their target. At the very least, it would buy him time, and maybe he could relive his life long enough to get a full appreciation of it.

That's what his father would tell him. He thought.

But he didn't want to die.

Jaune's father had told him that he had a lot of things to do before he passed on, including but not limited to growing up, finding a girlfriend, and having children of his own. The first one he understood just fine. The second one made no sense to him at all. The third one was impossible for him to envision.

"Not now." He turned opposite of the large horde and ran. "Run, even though it's a coward's tactic."

Oh how his mother would, without any doubt, lecture him and berate him for such behavior. Never retreat from a fight, she would always preach. Leave no weakness for thy enemy to see, and they would not be able to prod at it. Fight back.

Dammit, now wasn't the time to be having moral dilemmas.

If he used aura, he could run faster, but that would leave him more exposed to attack and he had no doubt that he would be fighting Grimm. For all of his training and discipline, he was still a little child. If luck favored him this day, at best he would survive, have some new experience, and probably have some scars to show for it.

At worst… he would die. No, at worst, he would survive and make himself look like a fool, and face his mother's disappointment.

That was worse than death.

His breathing increased, and he took this as a sign to use aura. In a more calm state of mind, he would be using it more efficiently. Nevertheless, he pushed himself more. More distance was needed. With such flat terrain in all directions, he wasn't going to be able to hide. He needed more than just his first plan to keep himself alive.

But what could he do?

Jaune looked back to see something headed for him, and he weaved to the right as an ear-splitting crack sounded all around. It was a Nevermore feather, though he'd never seen anything like it. He'd never even seen a Nevermore before.

If he wasn't motivated to run for his life, he was now.

His lungs began to scream for air, and he did his best to supply them, but with the way he was running, he couldn't keep this up for more than a few more minutes. Aura would only get him so far. Once he was out of aura, he was just be a panting mess.

Screw what his body wanted. His brain was telling him to move heaven and hell and not let up one bit.

He looked back. They were closing in on him, and fast.

He would have run even faster if he had not felt himself impact with something in his path. By the time he turned to see what was in front of him, he had already hit it and collapsed onto the ground. He put a hand to his forehead and rubbed it, feeling the pain began to subside. As he did this, he looked up.

"DAD!" Jaune couldn't sound any happier.

"Jaune, get behind me!" His father didn't even give him time to move as he picked the boy up and placed him behind. "Qrow!"

Just then, a second figure came, and there was Qrow, scythe in-hand.

"Uncle Qrow!"

The raven-haired main folded his weapon behind his back. "C'mon little man!" Qrow scooped up the boy. "We've gotta go!"

Jaune grabbed onto his uncle's dress shirt as the huntsman began to run at a much faster speed than the boy could accomplish. Before he was sped away from harm, the little blonde boy saw his father readying his claymore for battle.

"What about dad?" Jaune asked timidly. "Is he going to be okay?"

"Your dad's one of the best working huntsman in the world." Qrow informed his nephew. "He's going to be fine."

Jaune still held onto the dot that was his father in the distance. This didn't feel right; he was abandoning his father because he was deemed unfit for combat at this time.

"Can I help?" Jaune was hopeful.

"Sorry, little man, but you're not ready." Qrow picked up the pace. "Besides, you're not even armed."

"I've killed Grimm." Jaune pouted while he grumbled. "I can handle myself."

"You've killed one Grimm at a time." Qrow argued back easily. "Not an entire horde of Grimm."

Jaune was running out of things to say that would convince Qrow that he could assist in the battle. He fought for the chance, even knowing that he himself wasn't capable of fighting them. It was exactly like the scythe-wielder had said before: he wasn't ready, and this whole fiasco had just proven that.

"But dad's fighting them all himself." Jaune still wanted to argue about this. "We can't just leave him there."

"He's not going to stay there forever, Jaune." Qrow said with certainty. "He's only slowing the Grimm advance long enough for us to get to safety."

"Where… is safety?" Jaune ventured a question. "I don't see any-"

"Shade Academy." Qrow slowed his pace by a margin.

Jaune blinked. "Shade Academy? As in... Vacuo?"

"Bingo." Qrow conveyed softly. "We'll be there shortly, then you can tell us how on Remnant you got here."

"There was a portal." Jaune mumbled in recollection. "I didn't think it was at first, the way it was formed and shaped."

"A portal." This news only made Qrow's blood boil. "That confirms it."

"Confirms what?" Jaune inquired, but then realization dawned on his features. "But why would mother…"

"A test." Qrow quickly tried to assure the child. "She wanted to see what you'd do. Nothing more."

Maybe if Jaune were a little more normal like most kids, he would just accept what he said and not question it, but this boy was beyond average in every sense. His hurt face only made it more clear that he thought that he had done something to displease Raven and this was punishment for whatever he had done.

"Does mother love me?" Jaune sounded so broken up. "Do I matter to her?"

"You do, kid, but not in the way that Daisy cares about you." That was the only honest thing Qrow could be sure about. "It's complicated."'

Jaune bowed his head in shame.

Qrow had never been one for sympathy, but there were exceptions.

 **(X)(X)(X)(X)**

"Why today?" Lucas silently grumbled as he cut down an Ursa Major casually. "Why now? Gods dammit, Raven!"

By listening to just his voice, it was enough to hear that Lucas Arc was upset, and why not? Raven Branwen, his one-time lover had put their son into her idea of a test of survival. It was fortunate that this time around, Jaune was able to see that he couldn't fight, but the huntsman knew better than to think that there was no internal conflict. Just like his mother, Jaune disliked weakness. The boy had pride.

Lucas casually flicked his sword upward to impale through the bottom of the neck of an Ursa Major. He then used his aura to unleashed a blade of energy to slice five more in his path. A Beowulf tried to claw him only to find itself without a paw, slice off clean with a precise spin of the claymore, followed by a swift decapitation.

Another Beowulf stepped up, only to have its throat slit, followed by taking his sword by the blade and bringing down one of the guards of the hilt onto the top of the head. It was lights out in seconds.

There was a break in their ranks. Another minute and the next wave, the more dangerous Grimm classes would be knocking.

"Now would be the time to make a speedy retreat." Lucas analyzed, sheathing his weapon, while also tapping a finger to his wrist-mounted scroll. "Qrow, what's your status?"

 _"Jaune and I just got to Shade Academy."_ Qrow's gruff voice said back. _"What about you?"_

A Nevermore's shrieked in the skies above where the Grimm horde was amassing. He had about thirty seconds.

"I'm going to be… delayed." Lucas couldn't explain why he was using his diplomatic voice.

"Just don't die." Qrow reminded him. "I've saved your ass enough times."

"Language." Lucas scolded his friend. "Jaune's around."

Qrow snapped the channel off, and Lucas didn't make a fuss about it. The scythe-wielder wasn't one to restrict his language and to be told like a child not to curse was one thing that ticked him off.

As he began to backpedal, something else in the sky caught his eye. It was energy that came out of nowhere, slashing at the Nevermore as well as a few flying Griffins. Well, to the normal eye, that was what it appeared to be.

"Raven." Lucas breathed in realization. "What's your game? You always love to be ahead of the game."

"You should know by now, Lucas." Raven's voice came from behind. "You're always ahead, just like I am."

He whirled around. Yes, she was still the same as always.

"I should punch you right now." Lucas rounded on her and got in her personal space. "I want to, but more than that, I want to hear an explanation first before I do so."

"I like it when you're aggressive." Raven playfully grinned. "It's so… alluring."

"Let's go." Lucas knew better than to respond to the huntress. "Qrow's already at Shade with Jaune."

Even with his more heavy equipment, Lucas was still fast as he sprinted with Raven right by his side. Occasionally, both would leave some very nasty traps with their aura once the Grimm would pass by where they had been.

They would only occasionally look over their shoulders to see the distance they had created, which wasn't very much as Grimm could be very single-minded about killing the living and as such were not easily stopped, even with traps laid out by professional hunters.

The entire Grimm horde invading Shade just seemed just a little to suspicious. None of the huntsmen academies on Remnant had been attacked since the academies were first constructed. Were the after…

 _No, she wouldn't be a fool to attack now._ Lucas couldn't see the logic in attacking. _She knows all too well that even with a Grimm force this size, we've got a plan b and then some. What's her game?_

With the tower unable to transmit and the entire system basically save for local communications down until the repairs were completed, was it possible that this was a distraction?

"Qrow." Lucas felt the urgency in his being increased as he keyed into his local channels on his scroll. "C'mon, answer, dammit!"

"Is my brother being a nuisance again?" Raven commented nonchalantly as they continued their brisk pace?"

"This is not the time for smart-ass comments." Lucas grilled the huntress harshly. "So do me a favor and be quiet until we get to Shade."

"Is that a way to talk to a maiden?" Raven turned around and brandished her weapon. "And speaking of which… let's do a test."

Lucas stopped running to witness what was to happen next, as his interest was piqued, but he also needed to see just how far Raven had progressed.

The huntress's eyes glowed and she began to channel the power of the Summer Maiden into her sword. The blade began to glow to the point that the metal was turning red, but still it held true. With a look of death, she unleashed all the pent-up energy into a single horizontal sweep. The ensuing power was enough to completely decimate the first several waves of Grimm and pushed the other waves back due to bodies flying backwards.

"Are you finished with your power display?" Lucas hid his approval. "I have no need for a showoff."

"But you do need time, time which I can give you." Raven pointed out in such a way to provoke irritation from him. "Now what were you saying about me?"

Now she was just ticking him off. Regardless, he reigned in what little annoyance he had.

"I was saying that you need to tone it down." Lucas changed his tune. "You know that this only makes you more of a target. She's not blind you know."

"I know what she can do." Raven wasn't the least bit phased by his words. "If she wants the power, she can pry it from my cold dead body."

"And that's what worries me so much." Lucas grimaced, while turning to run. "Jaune needs his mother, you know."

"But do you need me?" Raven egged him on.

"I have no answer to that." Lucas refused to give her the benefit. "We have to go."

"Always the stalwart knight." She chuckled. "Lead on."

 **(X)(X)(X)(X)**

Jaune hated the stares that were directed at him as Qrow carried him onto Shade Academy grounds. It was like none of them had ever seen a kid before. Nevertheless, the child remained calm.

"What now?" Jaune questioned.

"We get ready." Qrow put him down. "The Grimm are coming."

"What can I do?"

"You're not doing anything, little man. Didn't I just say that. Daisy's in a fit right now, and if anything were to happen to you, your father might just die from her wrath. You're staying out of the fight."

"But Qrow-"

"That's final. Don't even think about doing anything either, or I'll know."

Well so much for trying to help. Jaune may be in greater control of his emotions than many children his age, but like his mother when things didn't go how he wished, he let out a small growl, a glare, and a slight bearing of his teeth.

"Now there's my sister." Qrow could only notice this resemblance. "She would be so proud of you."

"Is mother proud of me? I don't know sometimes. I hear parents say nice things to their children, but I don't hear it from her."

"Don't sweat the details, kid. If she didn't care, she wouldn't come see you often." Qrow tried to assure his nephew. "Which is more than I can say for Yang."

"What?"

"Nothing, kid."

Jaune pouted a bit, but then he retracted back into an impassive look that was unbecoming of a child his age. No matter how much he looked like his father, the blonde-haired kid was more like his mother than even he realized. Kids didn't do stone-faced indifference. Kids did everything emotional because it was healthy for them and they really didn't know any better.

He was nothing like his half-sister in that respect.

"Okay, kid down you go." Qrow let Jaune get to his feel. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine." Jaune mumbled. "So this is Shade Academy."

"Not very good-looking, is it?" Qrow jabbed.

"I think it looks cool." Jaune said. "But what's everyone in a hurry for?"

"Bad stuff, little man."

"What bad stuff?"

"Nothing you need to know."

"Tell me-"

"No."

"But-"

"No."

Qrow said 'no' many more times before Jaune got the hint and simply resorted to being glum. The kid wanted to help, but he was far from ready to kill Grimm in such large numbers.

"All hands, incoming Grimm attack. Battle positions!"

That was the alert that all of them were waiting for. All bodies moved twice as fast they were before that announcement. Things could be worse; although the majority of the fighters here were students, they were all-around eager to get a taste of their first real battle. He was hoping that none of them would get killed.

"Well… damn." Qrow licked his parched lips. "It's time to make like a tree and get lost."

"But you can't use a portal like mother can."

"I'm taking you to a temporary safe place."

"But aren't you fighting?"

"Now I'm guarding you."

"But I can take care of myself."

"If I lose you, your parents will get some loose screws. No dice. What part of 'no' is hard to understand? No means no. Am I clear?"

"..."

Qrow could only kneel down and look his nephew in the eye.

"You'll get your chance on day, but you're not ready for something like this. Am I clear? If something happens to you, everyone would be unhappy."

"Okay, okay, I get it."

Those word were the only ones he could ever hear during a time like this. He wasn't able to do it. He was incapable of doing it. Knowing Jaune well enough, this had to be a serious dampener on his pride. He wanted to see real live combat with Grimm, people, whatever. Raven and Lucas didn't even train him per say. They sparred with him.

"So when can I kill Grimm?" Jaune inquired.

"Give it a few more years." Qrow patted him on the head. "Then we'll talk serious Grimm killing."

"A few years?!" Jaune pouted and shouted. "But I wanna do it now!"

"Kid, nobody should be wanting to kill at all." Qrow tried to shush him.

The little boy had absolutely no leverage and he seemed to realize it and finally appeared as if he'd accepted his situation and ceased his whining altogether.

"I'm bored."

It was right about then that a very loud stomach growl bellowed, enough so that the two of them could hear it. The boy looked embarrassed while the huntsman snickered, trying to contain his laugh.

"Well, for starters, some food is no order." Qrow pointed to the doors to the school. "Cafeteria's got food. Let's go."

"Can I?" Jaune eagerly demanded.

"Sure it is." Qrow assured.

No more convincing was necessary as they both headed for food. Kids loved food, or at least Jaune loved food. So far, none of the family had discovered something that he didn't like, and for that everyone was grateful.

Well, Jaune was an easy child to raise.

 **(X)(X)(X)(X)**

 **Midnight**

"Gods dammit." Qrow slammed his fist against the table. "When did things start going to shit?"

"This whole situation was a major disaster from the start." Lucas mumbled with his head bowed as he leaned against the wall. "We only managed to thin out a quarter of the Grimm numbers."

"Any minute now and we'll be minced up." Raven chuckled humorlessly while sitting in the only chair in the room. "Well, most of us at any rate."

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that." Qrow buried his face in one hand. "Can we just get to the part where we kick ass back?"

"Agreed." Lucas looked at Raven. "And Raven?"

"Yes, dear?" Raven joked.

Lucas stared robotically at her. "The next time you decide to endanger the life of our son, I wish to know."

"I'm not going to apologize for my actions." Raven smirked a bit. "Everything I do is for a reason."

"Now where have I heard that one before?" Qrow muttered lightly.

"We will talk about it later." Lucas got off the wall and resumed a straight posture with his hands behind his back. "I'm assuming that you don't have a portal linked to Daisy."

"No." Raven crossed her arms. "Just for you and Jaune."

"That would be too convenient if you did." Lucas took a deep breath to calm his irritation before continuing. "Well, Shade is completely blocked in all direction. As far as I know, there's no help that's coming, at least not for another night at best, a few days at worst."

"We're not getting any sleep then." Qrow took a long sip from his flask. "I don't bring enough booze with me."

"I'm surprised that you haven't died from drinking yet, Qrow." Raven took a shot at her brother. "How does Jaune put up with you?"

"He just doesn't care, I guess." Qrow finished his drink. "And speaking of the kid, he finally went to sleep. I was wondering if I was gonna have to tell a story."

"And we all know how much you love kids." Lucas chimed in with his own jab. "If your training with Jaune is anything to go by."

True to Qrow's words, Jaune had been put to sleep in a spare dorm. Thankfully, nobody seemed to ask too many questions regarding the boy. Children near Shade Academy, or any of the huntsman academies at all was a cause for questioning. The only thing that any of them had been willing to supply was that there was exceptional circumstances. People had more questions, but they all took on looks to deter further inquiries.

Also now was the time to plan their next move. With the CCT tower still out of commission and with reinforcements nowhere in sight, all that remained had to hold down the fort. A fallen huntsman academy was not going to look good to the world. That reason, though was merely an official statement. All three of them were perfectly aware of what was really at stake should the Grimm overtake shade. It was this little thing, a gift from the Gods, and the queen wanted them more than anything else.

"We don't have enough people here to help." Lucas reported, beginning to pace. "Those engineers Ironwood sent can only do so much. Whoever tampered with the tower was looking for more than a way to destabilize us."

"The tower has to be compromised." Raven offered. "If it's taking this long to get it back up and running, someone's being a snoop."

"Salem might want to be a snoop." Qrow fiddled with his scroll a bit. "I mean, why not? She seems to be all about using things and people."

"No, this entire thing, it all sounds a little too disorganized, too chaotic to be the work of Salem." Lucas disagreed. "She's more subtle than that."

They all closed their eyes, trying to think of another angle. So far, they had listed off possibilities, backed up with no evidence. If this was the best that they could do, then what was the point of continuing on further.

"Have you contacted Daisy?" Raven directed her question to Lucas.

"I can't, remember?" Lucas narrowed his eyes at her. "Long-range communications are down, and local waves are hard enough to listen to."

"So what do you think she'll say once you get back?"

"What do you think, Raven? It was going to be my head if Jaune didn't come back. She adores Jaune like her own flesh-and-blood son. She'd never forgive me if I didn't come back with him."

"And did you tell her what I did?"

"I didn't need to. She figured out you were only one who could do it. She knows about your semblance, you know."

"Because you told her."

"So I did. Is there a problem?"

Now they had a new reason to be tense. Raven had always been different from most people. Even among fellow huntsmen and huntresses, she absolutely was a unique snowflake. Between her questionable character and her radical ideals, she wasn't a person that people trusted as a friend, but she was capable of getting results. However, her actions always had their own problems.

Whatever her reason for putting Jaune through the gauntlet, there was going to be fallout. Jaune was only a kid not even six years of age; that little fiasco earlier today shouldn't have happened, at least not for another five years or so. Right now, his only job was to grow and become a shield to defend himself.

Raven would rather that Jaune be a sword to deliver swift and uncompromising retribution to everyone that threatened herself and all that she cared about. Her clan was constantly on the move and in-danger. In that world, morality was so grey, something that mirrored young Jaune's mind right now. Plus, Raven was his mother, so of course he valued her opinion.

"I'd be surprised if you could get with a mile of our home now." Lucas laid out the reality. "Daisy is very passionate about family, and any threat, direct or indirect, is something she won't tolerate."

"Maybe she wouldn't be this way if you told her things." Raven wasn't having the blame being placed upon her. "If you'd just tell her what the templar really are, then maybe she'd see the reason for what we do."

"You make it sound like that is an easy thing to do." Lucas shook his head. "Frankly, there is a reason we don't tell anyone about our true purpose. Defending the weak and being champions for good is a part of the equation, not the answer."

"And what makes you think that Jaune will maintain silence once he discovers what he really is?" Raven crossed her legs and arms. "Our son is not a fool, and once he knows the truth, he will take matters into his hands."

"What is the problem exactly?" Lucas could take a guess, but still posed the question. "His path in life is his own."

"No, it isn't." Raven stood up, her hands clenched into fists. "He only has two choices in life. Whatever his opinion on being in both words, it won't work."

"Yet you let him continue to say so." Lucas looked dubious.

"It's more effective to let his own worldview change by his own volition." Raven took a step close to Lucas. "I don't make it a secret how I see the world, and Jaune knows that. He knows what I think, but he doesn't fully believe me."

Lucas knew how Raven maneuvered, and despite being honest in some respects, she deceived and hid other true intentions hiding behind other truths and facts. He only knew that she was hiding something, but despite knowing the method, he couldn't say for sure what she really wanted. Protecting her tribe and continuing it seemed too easy an answer.

Something hitting the floor alerted them both and they turned their heads to see something that was as dismaying as it was amusing. Apparently, Qrow had just finished his flask, and it was enough to get him drunk. He had collapsed onto the ground face-down. He appeared to be alright. Any damage probably went to his aura.

"Qrow, you stupid fool." Raven rushed to his side and checkcd on him. "Have you died yet?"

"Nooooo, but it sounds like a great idea." Qrow appeared to have heard her and had something to say. "I just need a little more-"

"No more, Qrow." Lucas cut his battle brother off. "You've had enough. It's now time for some sleep, buddy."

"I'll sleep when I die." Qrow muttered almost incoherently. "Gotta… kill… more Grimm."

With some struggle, the two of them got the drunk man to the same room where Jaune slept peacefully. They were careful not disturb the child and thankfully, Qrow's prattling had ceased and he was now unconscious. They weren't too worried about him actually being harmed further.

"What happened to you brother?" Raven frowned at the undignified sight. "You're supposed to be my equal in all things."

"Nobody can be your equal now." Lucas said. "You possess power beyond all reckoning, and with time, you'll only get better."

"Don't you say the nicest things." Raven replied.

She turned around and faced him, cupping one side of his face with her right hand. This lasted for a moment, then he turned his back.

"Have some manners, Raven."

"It's so nice to see you so unbalanced."

No, this game was going to light a powder keg, and he wouldn't be involved in this mess.

* * *

 **Whoops, did I forget this story? No, I didn't but then I couldn't figure out what the hell I was doing. Then I got some of my mojo back and got to writing. There's one more chapter in this little character development arc before I turn to Beacon Academy.**

 **My goal is to create a version of Jaune Arc that's more in line with his current state in volume 5, someone who is trying to be optimistic yet is also saddled with demons. Make no mistake, this will be a different take on Jaune, but I don't want to create an OC. Jaune has certain characteristics that make him who he is, and I hope to capture that essence.**

 **Apologies for an extremely long delay. This semester in college has been more busy than I anticipated as well as disorganized. I hope to pull myself together and actually get back to a somewhat consistent writing schedule.**

 **Anyways, if you guys still want more from this story, then don't hesitate to leave a review with feedback as well as any ideas in the future. Additionally, I think it's time to get myself a beta-reader to help me develop the story. I've got an overall story laid out, and a second pair of eyes would be greatly appreciated.**

 **Apologies for any grammar errors that I missed during my fast read-through.**

 **Finally, for future stories, go check out my stories on my profile page and vote for your favorite one to come in the future. I've got a lot of ideas jotted down, some of them having drafts too.**

 **I hope you guys enjoyed reading.**

 _ **"If you love life, don't waste time, for time is what life is made up of."**_

 **Bruce Lee**

 **Peace!**


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